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

The post-pandemic period has caused experienced and respected colleagues to downshift, change jobs, or opt out of work altogether. —Dr. Talia Varley, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

There’s also the possibility that Trump backs off on imposing new tariffs on some nations’ imports altogether. —Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024

Noun

According to my calculations, the White House methodology yields the absurd conclusion that eliminating the corporate tax altogether would boost annual household wages by up to $20,000. —Jason Furman, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English altogedere, from al all + togedere together

Noun

derivative of altogether entry 1

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