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entire

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adverb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word entire distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of entire are all, total, and whole. While all these words mean "including everything or everyone without exception," entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added.

the entire population was wiped out

How is all related to other words for entire?

All may equal whole, entire, or total.

all proceeds go to charity

When could total be used to replace entire?

The synonyms total and entire are sometimes interchangeable, but total implies that everything has been counted, weighed, measured, or considered.

the total number of people present

Where would whole be a reasonable alternative to entire?

The meanings of whole and entire largely overlap; however, whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away.

read the whole book

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of entire
Adjective
The process involves lifting the entire structure off its foundation using jacks, which also requires homeowners to temporarily move out. Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025 The entire root system gets water, not just the outer edges. Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2025 But when Salsberry was 14, her entire life was turned upside. Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025 Floyd-Pruitt's passion for performance and creating colored his entire life, including time working in marketing, and then his career in the art industry and community outreach work. Angelika Ytuarte, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for entire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for entire
Adjective
  • The all-woman cast was our director Leigh Silverman’s exciting vision.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Sep. 2025
  • After debuting her first season as a part of the pro dancer slate in 2016 with season 23, Johnson returned to the cast for the long haul for the one-of-its-kind all-athletes installment of DWTS and nabbed the mirrorball trophy alongside Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon.
    McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Etihad Park is scheduled to open before the 2027 MLS season, and with it a whole bunch of open dates for the team—and the league—to play with.
    Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 24 Sep. 2025
  • By April, after more issues with the program came to light, the sheriff suspended their participation, which halted the whole program.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • The Philadelphia offense looked completely stagnant for much of the game.
    Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
  • But Cozens wasn’t completely deterred by the intensity.
    Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • On a roller coaster, the theme park commands your full and undivided attention.
    Bianca Bosker, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Create intentional phone-free brainstorms or strategy sessions where attention is undivided.
    Elan Gepner-Dales, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Watching everything in release order will give you a nearly complete experience, though hardcore fans may want to check out The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition, which transformed the three films into a 13-episode anime series featuring new music, enhanced visuals, and other fun additions.
    Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Boise State sacked Swann five times, and cornerback A’Marion McCoy victimized him with the first pick-six, reading a pass to the right flat perfectly to intercept it and returning it 26 yards untouched for a touchdown in the first half.
    Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Nothing engraves glass as uniformly and perfectly as UV lasers.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The junior quarterback went 5-for-8 passing with 146 yards, while adding 59 yards rushing to go with three total touchdowns as Springfield Central defeated a Catholic Conference nemesis, 28-20.
    Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
  • By contrast, in the United States the top two fintech deals represented less than 10% of total funding, with capital spread across hundreds of Series A-C rounds.
    Aman Ghei, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • The traffic itself generally keeps moving rather than fully stopping.
    Eric D. Lawrence, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Microsoft has built Copilot into Edge, OpenAI is testing a sandboxed browser in agent mode and Perplexity's Comet is one of the first to fully embrace the concept of browsing for you.
    Staff, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Entire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/entire. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

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