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Synonyms

whole-length

American  
[hohl-lengkth, -length, hohl-lengkth, -length] / ˈhoʊlˈlɛŋkθ, -ˈlɛŋθ, ˈhoʊlˌlɛŋkθ, -ˌlɛŋθ /

adjective

  1. extended to or having its entire length; not shortened or abridged.

    a whole-length report.

  2. portraying, reflecting, or accommodating the full length of the human figure.

    a whole-length sofa; a whole-length portrait of the general.

noun

  1. a portrait or statue showing the full length of its subject.

    The painting gallery had a roomful of whole-lengths.

Etymology

Origin of whole-length

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was to be a whole-length in water-colours, like Mr. John Knightley’s, and was destined, if she could please herself, to hold a very honourable station over the mantelpiece.

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

In the centre of the building there is a small tower, with a whole-length figure of the founder.

From A Description of Modern Birmingham Whereunto Are Annexed Observations Made during an Excursion Round the Town, in the Summer of 1818, Including Warwick and Leamington by Pye, Charles

The whole-length of "The Marquis of Granby," and "The Portrait of Mrs. Siddons," two of his finest pictures, are examples of this mode of treating the head.

From Rembrandt and His Works Comprising a Short Account of His Life; with a Critical Examination into His Principles and Practice of Design, Light, Shade, and Colour. Illustrated by Examples from the Etchings of Rembrandt. by Burnet, John

Van Dyck had forty pounds for a half, and sixty pounds for a whole-length picture;—for a large piece of the King, Queen, and their children, he had a hundred pounds.

From The Old Masters and Their Pictures For the Use of Schools and Learners in Art by Tytler, Sarah

Thus the mansion of every ambassador of the crown, in the capital of the foreign court to which he was accredited, exhibited in its reception rooms whole-length portraits of the King and Queen of England.

From Art in England Notes and Studies by Cook, Dutton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.