whole

1 of 3

adjective

ˈhōl 

1

a(1)

: free of wound or injury : unhurt

(2)

: recovered from a wound or injury : restored

(3)

: being healed

whole of an ancient evil, I sleep sound

—A. E. Housman

b

: free of defect or impairment : intact

c

: physically sound and healthy : free of disease or deformity

d

: mentally or emotionally sound

2

: having all its proper parts or components : complete, unmodified

whole milk

a whole egg

3

a

: constituting the total sum or undiminished entirety : entire

owns the whole island

b

: each or all of the

took part in the whole series of athletic events

4

a

: constituting an undivided unit : unbroken, uncut

a whole roast suckling pig

b

: directed to one end : concentrated

your whole attention

5

a

: seemingly complete or total

the whole idea is to help, not hinder

b

: very great in quantity, extent, or scope

feels a whole lot better now

6

: constituting the entirety of a person's nature or development

educate the whole student

7

: having the same father and mother

whole brother

wholeness noun

whole

2 of 3

noun

1

: a complete amount or sum : a number, aggregate, or totality lacking no part, member, or element

2

: something constituting a complex unity : a coherent system or organization of parts fitting or working together as one

whole

3 of 3

adverb

1

: wholly, entirely

a whole new age group

—Henry Chauncey

2

: as a complete entity

Phrases

in whole

: to the full or entire extent : wholly

—usually used in the phrase in whole or in part

on the whole

1

: in view of all the circumstances or conditions : all things considered

2

: in general : in most instances : typically

Synonyms

Adjective

• all
• concentrated
• entire
• exclusive
• focused
• focussed
• undivided

Noun

• aggregate
• full
• sum
• summation
• sum total
• total
• totality

Choose the Right Synonym for whole

perfect, whole, entire, intact mean not lacking or faulty in any particular.

perfect implies the soundness and the excellence of every part, element, or quality of a thing frequently as an unattainable or theoretical state.

a perfect set of teeth

whole suggests a completeness or perfection that can be sought, gained, or regained.

felt like a whole person again after vacation

entire implies perfection deriving from integrity, soundness, or completeness of a thing.

the entire Beethoven corpus

intact implies retention of perfection of a thing in its natural or original state.

the boat survived the storm intact

Examples of whole in a Sentence

Adjective

The doctor assured me that the whole procedure would only take a few minutes.

The whole place was remodeled. It looks great now.

It's been a whole week since I've seen him.

I spent the whole summer traveling through Europe.

The whole evening was a great success.

She read the whole book in one day.

I've been waiting my whole life for this.

We decided to forget the whole thing.

We cooked a whole chicken.

The community center offers a whole range of programs.

Noun

the landlord eventually refunded the whole of our deposit

Adverb

We cooked the chicken whole.

The frog swallowed the fly whole.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The whole family squeezes together, smiling, wearing various shades of blue and white. —Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024

Uninsured Americans would be hit especially hard by the rule’s potential return, advocates stress, noting that services provided through clinics with Title X funding are particularly essential for such patients, who might receive their only medical care for the whole year during those visits. —Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, The Hill, 19 Dec. 2024

Noun

Mansour’s iconic 1973 painting The Camel of Hardship depicts an elderly Palestinian man carrying the whole of Jerusalem on his back. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 19 Dec. 2024

Scaling that model to cover the whole of Syria, however, seems impossible. —Sam Heller, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2024

Adverb

Includes whole smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans and broccoli salad, dinner rolls (20); sweet potato, fudge, pecan or pie, iced tea, and BBQ sauce. —Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 9 Dec. 2024

There are only two ways to keep Social Security whole — reduce benefits or increase the payroll tax that provides the largest chunk of income. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English hool healthy, unhurt, entire, from Old English hāl; akin to Old High German heil healthy, unhurt, Old Norse heill, Old Church Slavic cělŭ

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing whole

• a greater whole
• as a whole
• a whole lot
• a whole lot of
• a whole new ball game
• committee of the whole
• go (the) whole hog
• heart-whole
• in the whole wide world
• in whole
• mean the (whole) world
• on the whole
• out of whole cloth
• run the whole show
• tell the whole world
• the whole bit
• the whole caboodle
• the whole enchilada
• the whole/entire way
• the whole kit and caboodle
• the whole nine yards
• the whole schmear
• the whole shebang
• the whole shooting match
• the whole time
• the whole truth
• the whole works
• the (whole) world over
• whole cloth
• whole food
• whole gale
• whole hog
• whole language
• whole-life
• whole life insurance
• whole note
• whole nother
• whole number
• whole rest
• whole-souled
• whole step
• whole story
• whole wheat

Kids Definition

whole

1 of 2 adjective

ˈhōl 

1

: being in healthy or sound condition : free from sickness or injury : well

your care made me whole again

2

a

: having all its proper parts or elements : complete

whole grain

whole milk

b

: not cut up or in pieces

a whole roast chicken

3

: not divided or scattered

your whole attention

4

: being the total or full amount or extent of something

owns the whole island

5

: each or all of the

the whole 10 days

whole

2 of 2 noun

1

: a complete amount or sum

2

: something whole or entire

the whole of an apple

Etymology

Adjective

Old English hāl "healthy" — related to hale entry 1

Medical Definition

whole

adjective

ˈhōl 

: containing all its natural constituents, components, or elements : deprived of nothing by refining, processing, or separation

whole milk