altogether

1 of 2

adverb

al·​to·​geth·​er ˌȯl-tə-ˈge-t͟hər 

1

: wholly, completely

an altogether different problem

stopped raining altogether

2

: in all : all told

spent a hundred dollars altogether

3

: on the whole

Altogether their efforts were successful.

altogether

2 of 2

noun

informal

: nude

—used with the

posed in the altogether

Synonyms

Adverb

• basically
• by and large
• chiefly
• generally
• largely
• mainly
• mostly
• overall
• predominantly
• primarily
• principally
• substantially

Noun

• bareness
• birthday suit
• bottomlessness
• buff
• nakedness
• nude
• nudity
• raw

Examples of altogether in a Sentence

Adverb

They had an altogether new idea.

If we don't do something now, the forests may disappear altogether.

It's best to avoid the situation altogether.

Altogether, their efforts were successful.

Noun

had never posed in the altogether for a photographer before

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Is the risk high enough to swear off lipstick altogether? —Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 9 May 2024

Then an experiment designed to test the shuttle’s facility for orbital rendezvous, using a Mylar balloon inflated with gas, also ended in farce when the balloon launched but promptly exploded; meanwhile, the shuttle toilet—which had always been troublesome—stopped working altogether. —Adam Higginbotham, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adverb and Noun

Middle English altogedere, from al all + togedere together

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1893, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing altogether

• in the altogether

Kids Definition

altogether

adverb

al·​to·​geth·​er

ˌȯl-tə-ˈget͟h-ər

1

: wholly, completely

an altogether different problem

2

: with everything taken into account : in all

spent $25 altogether

3

: on the whole

altogether their efforts succeeded