wholly
Americanadverb
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entirely; totally; altogether; quite.
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to the whole amount, extent, etc.
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so as to comprise or involve all.
adverb
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completely, totally, or entirely
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without exception; exclusively
Etymology
Origin of wholly
First recorded in 1250–1300, wholly is from the Middle English word holliche. See whole, -ly
Explanation
Wholly is an adverb that means "entirely." If a story is wholly inaccurate, no part of it is true. Do you like to do things the whole way or whole hog, refusing any halfhearted attempts? Then wholly is your kind of word — it means completely, totally, or to the full extent. To give yourself over wholly to the music at a concert means that you are focused exclusively on the experience. If you're wholly committed to a goal, you're going to give it 100% of your time and energy.
Vocabulary lists containing wholly
ACT Vocabulary List
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
Naver Financial—which operates one of South Korea’s largest mobile payment platform, Naver Pay—agreed in November last year to acquire Dunamu through a share swap that would make it a wholly owned subsidiary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
With impeccable sound design and an eerie score by Ryan and Hays Holladay, Cregger delivers a textured, wholly realized world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
“I fully, wholly, and from the bottom of my heart apologize purely in a good way to you,” he wrote.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
It’s not worth digging much into the film’s story; whether you’ve seen the first movie or just have a general outline of it, you’ll be wholly unsurprised by everything that happens in its sequel.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Arms stretched out before her, eyes shut, breath held, Anya was wholly unprepared for what she hit when she landed.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
