wholly

[ hoh-lee, hohl-lee ]

/ ˈhoʊ li, ˈhoʊl li /

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adverb

entirely; totally; altogether; quite.

to the whole amount, extent, etc.

so as to comprise or involve all.

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IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

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Origin of wholly

First recorded in 1250–1300, wholly is from the Middle English word holliche.See whole, -ly

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wholly

holey, holy, wholly

Words nearby wholly

whole-tone scale, whole-wheat, wholism, wholistic, who'll, wholly, whom, whomever, whomp, whomso, whomsoever

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use wholly in a sentence

Those of us who have lived in multiple places will always feel, at some level, a question as to where, if anywhere, is definitively home, and what, in turn, we may call ourselves, because no one national label feels wholly right.
For a multiracial writer, a life marked by earthquakes and other upheavals|Gabrielle Bellot|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
While financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, Weber has confirmed that June will continue to operate as its own brand wholly owned by Weber-Stephen Products and will continue to both sell and develop the June Oven and related products.
Weber acquires smart cooking startup June|Darrell Etherington|January 12, 2021|TechCrunch
More than 70 percent of the country’s nursing home providers use operating funds to pay themselves through so-called related parties — companies they or their family members partially or wholly own.
Profit and pain: How California’s largest nursing home chain amassed millions as scrutiny mounted|Debbie Cenziper, Joel Jacobs, Alice Crites, Will Englund|December 31, 2020|Washington Post
It’s easy for me to resist the call of early-season touring—I lost a friend to an early-season avalanche, and another friend was nearly paralyzed after crashing into early-season rocks—but I wholly understand the desire.
Last Weekend Was a Deadly One in the Rockies|Marc Peruzzi|December 24, 2020|Outside Online

Researchers have uncovered secrets of a virus that, not so long ago, was wholly unknown.
As 2020 comes to an end, here’s what we still don’t know about COVID-19|Science News Staff|December 9, 2020|Science News
The precision it took to craft such a cohesive, wholly compelling work over 12 years is nothing short of remarkable.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’|Marlow Stern|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sex, then, is not wholly experiential but at least partially transactional.
Have Sperm, Will Travel: The ‘Natural Inseminators’ Helping Women Avoid the Sperm Bank|Elizabeth Picciuto|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A group of New York chefs show The Daily Beast how to enliven, or wholly recast, holiday table staples.
Thanksgiving Favorites, With a Twist|Sara Sayed, The Daily Beast Video|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That is not to say the students who submit to the elitism and racism promoted by the USC Greek system are wholly sympathetic.
Stepford Sororities: The Pressures of USC’s Greek Life|Maya Richard Craven|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What were your impressions on playing on something wholly guided by vocals?
Herbie Hancock Holds Forth|David Yaffe|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Young Lamb's big cigar has been out long ago; but he pulls hard at it, wholly unaware of the fact.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
I shall therefore, in my effort to prove the Bible fallible, quote almost wholly from Christian critics.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
But if the Bible was written by men, some of them more or less inspired, then it would not, in all probability be wholly perfect.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
In spite of this, the garden studio was not wholly forsaken, and nearly every day she accomplished something there.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
"No; his coming has taken me by surprise," replied Hartledon, with a nervousness he could not wholly conceal.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for wholly

wholly

/ (ˈhəʊllɪ) /

adverb

completely, totally, or entirely

without exception; exclusively

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

wholly

Origin of wholly

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wholly

Words nearby wholly

Words related to wholly

How to use wholly in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wholly