whole

[ hohl ]

/ hoʊl /

adjective

comprising the full quantity, amount, extent, number, etc., without diminution or exception; entire, full, or total: He ate the whole pie. They ran the whole distance.

containing all the elements properly belonging; complete: We have a whole set of antique china.

undivided; in one piece: to swallow a thing whole.

Mathematics. integral, or not fractional.

not broken, damaged, or impaired; intact: Thankfully, the vase arrived whole.

uninjured or unharmed; sound: He was surprised to find himself whole after the crash.

pertaining to all aspects of human nature, especially one's physical, intellectual, and spiritual development: education for the whole person.

noun

the whole assemblage of parts or elements belonging to a thing; the entire quantity, account, extent, or number: He accepted some of the parts but rejected the whole.

a thing complete in itself, or comprising all its parts or elements.

an assemblage of parts associated or viewed together as one thing; a unitary system.

Idioms for whole

as a whole, all things included or considered; altogether: As a whole, the relocation seems to have been beneficial.

on/upon the whole,

in view of all the circumstances; after consideration.
disregarding exceptions; in general: On the whole, the neighborhood is improving.

out of whole cloth, without foundation in fact; fictitious: a story made out of whole cloth.

Origin of whole

before 900; Middle English hole, hool (adj. and noun), Old English hāl (adj.); cognate with Dutch heel, German heil, Old Norse heill; see hale¹, heal; spelling with w reflects dial. form

SYNONYMS FOR whole

1 undiminished, integral, complete.

5 unimpaired, perfect.

8 totality, aggregate. Whole, total mean the entire or complete sum or amount. The whole is all there is; every part, member, aspect; the complete sum, amount, quantity of anything, not divided; the entirety: the whole of one's property, family. Total also means whole, complete amount, or number, but conveys the idea of something added together or added up: The total of their gains amounted to millions.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR whole ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR whole

1 partial.

8 part.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR whole ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM whole

whole·ness, noun self-whole, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH whole

hole whole (see synonym study at hole) (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words nearby whole

whoa, whodunit, whodunnit, whoe'er, whoever, whole, whole ball of wax, the, whole blood, whole brother, whole gale, whole hog

British Dictionary definitions for as a whole

whole

/ (həʊl) /

adjective

containing all the component parts necessary to form a total; complete a whole apple

constituting the full quantity, extent, etc

uninjured or undamaged

healthy

having no fractional or decimal part; integral a whole number

of, relating to, or designating a relationship established by descent from the same parents; full whole brothers

out of whole cloth US and Canadian informal entirely without a factual basis

adverb

in an undivided or unbroken piece to swallow a plum whole

noun

all the parts, elements, etc, of a thing

an assemblage of parts viewed together as a unit

a thing complete in itself

as a whole considered altogether; completely

on the whole

taking all things into consideration
in general

Derived forms of whole

wholeness, noun

Word Origin for whole

Old English hāl, hǣl; related to Old Frisian hāl, hēl, Old High German heil, Gothic hails; compare hale 1

Medical definitions for as a whole

whole

[ hōl ]

adj.

Not wounded, injured, or impaired; sound or unhurt.

Having been restored; healed.

n.

An entity or system made up of interrelated parts.

Idioms and Phrases with as a whole (1 of 2)

as a whole

All parts or aspects considered, altogether, as in I like the play as a whole, though the second act seemed somewhat slow. [Early 1800s] Also see on the whole.

Idioms and Phrases with as a whole (2 of 2)

whole

In addition to the idioms beginning with whole

whole ball of wax, the
whole hog
whole kit and caboodle, the
whole megillah
whole new ballgame, a
whole nine yards, the
whole shebang

also see:

as a whole
go whole hog
on the whole
out of whole cloth

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

whole

adjective

noun

Idioms for whole

Origin of whole

SYNONYMS FOR whole

ANTONYMS FOR whole

OTHER WORDS FROM whole

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH whole

Words nearby whole

British Dictionary definitions for as a whole

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of whole

Word Origin for whole

Medical definitions for as a whole

adj.

n.

Idioms and Phrases with as a whole (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with as a whole (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

whole

adjective

noun

Idioms for whole

Origin of whole

SYNONYMS FOR whole

ANTONYMS FOR whole

OTHER WORDS FROM whole

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH whole

Words nearby whole

Words related to as a whole

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for as a whole

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of whole

Word Origin for whole

Medical definitions for as a whole

adj.

n.

Idioms and Phrases with as a whole (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with as a whole (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for as a whole