wholly

adverb

whol·​ly ˈhō(l)-lē 

1

: to the full or entire extent : completely

a wholly owned subsidiary

2

: to the exclusion of other things : solely

a book dealing wholly with herbs

Synonyms

• all
• all of
• all over
• altogether
• clean
• completely
• dead
• enough
• entire
• entirely
• even
• exactly
• fast
• flat
• full
• fully
• heartily
• out
• perfectly
• plumb [chiefly dialect]
• quite
• soundly
• thoroughly
• through and through
• totally
• utterly
• well
• wide

Examples of wholly in a Sentence

She is wholly devoted to her children.

An infant is wholly dependent on its mother.

The claim is wholly without merit.

Recent Examples on the Web

Today about half of the hotels it wholly or partially owns are operated through Marriott brands, including three from its The Luxury Collection, a Sheraton on Okinawa and two Edition properties in Tokyo. —James Simms, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Clive Mason | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images Despite all of its technological expertise however, F1 is not relying wholly on engineering breakthroughs to reach its 2030 net zero target. —Chris Hawes, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2024

However, Trump's skit was not wholly original, either. —Peter Aitken, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024

This was a wholly different experience, managing a far more playable and great-looking 45fps. —Matthew Buzzi, PCMAG, 2 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hoolly, from hool whole

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wholly

adverb

whol·​ly ˈhōl-(l)ē 

1

: to the full or entire extent : completely

a wholly different view

2

: to the exclusion of other things : solely

a book devoted wholly to sports cars