wholly

[ hoh-lee, hohl-lee ]

/ ˈhoʊ li, ˈhoʊl li /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wholly ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

entirely; totally; altogether; quite.

to the whole amount, extent, etc.

so as to comprise or involve all.

Nearby words

Origin of wholly

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

Can be confusedholey holy wholly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wholly

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

Her borderline apologetic view is, frankly, a bit irksome, though not wholly unexpected based on Transmormon.
Thank God! To the Church, This Transgender Woman Is Just a Skank|Emily Shire|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Round the choir is a row of chapels, which are wholly wanting to the nave.
Account of a Tour in Normandy, Vol. I. (of 2)|Dawson Turner
The only fundamental determinations, therefore, which cannot be wholly resolved into each other, are matter and form.
A History of Philosophy in Epitome|Albert Schwegler
I studied his eyes with a new professional interest, which even the extremity of our danger could not wholly banish.
The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu|Sax Rohmer
Even his handling of the supernatural, which was undoubtedly a strong point of his, was not wholly de ban aloi.
The English Novel|George Saintsbury
He had been indulging in a sound sleep under one of the broken fences and was wholly unconscious that his comrades had moved away.
As I Remember|Marian Gouverneur

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

Word Origin and History for wholly

wholly

adv.

c.1300, probably from Old English *hallice; see whole + -ly (2).

wholly

adverb

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Nearby words

Origin of wholly

Examples from the Web for wholly

wholly

adverb

wholly