whole
/həʊl
/adjective
1 [attributive] All of; entire: he spent the whole day walking she wasn’t telling the whole truth...
- I am afraid that a whole country, an entire people, will be destroyed for nothing.
- Projecting growth over a whole century for the entire planet is just plain silly.
- The whole idea that the entire country took to arms with pitchforks and scythes is also a fallacy.
Synonyms
entire, complete, full, total;
unabridged, full-length, uncut, uncondensed, unexpurgated, unreduced, undivided
1.1Used to emphasize a large extent or number: disputes on a whole range of issues...
- There are concerns about bench-marking and substitution and a whole lot of issues.
- Instead, we just got a lecture about a whole lot of other issues that were not relevant.
- An atheist will always be asking questions about a whole lot of issues, not only religion.
2In an unbroken or undamaged state; in one piece: owls usually swallow their prey whole...
- The bread contains nibbly, whole pieces of grain which have the reputation of damaging fillings.
- When you've done the sums, the rainforest is actually worth more whole than in pieces.
- A whole piece of chicken may frighten them away but a chicken wing keeps them content.
Synonyms
intact, in one piece, sound, unbroken;
unimpaired, undamaged, unharmed, unhurt, untouched, uninjured, unscathed, unmutilated, inviolate, flawless, faultless, unmarked, unspoilt, perfect, mint, pristine
2.1 [attributive] With no part removed: puddings made with whole milk...
- Save these dairy products for special occasions - they have even more fat than whole milk.
- A good natural fungicide can be made from whole milk, bicarb soda and canola oil.
- As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk.
2.2 [predicative] Healthy: people should be whole in body, mind, and spirit...
- To be healthy is to be whole, and without unification of the mind, body and spirit, a person will fall ill.
- You express and share feelings, also help others to feel healthy and whole around you.
- Discover your true, whole, healthy self!
noun
1A thing that is complete in itself: the subjects of the curriculum form a coherent whole...
- Similarly, multiculturalism teaches students to see all cultural outlooks as self-contained wholes.
- All ritual systems, from the most ‘primitive’ to the most ‘advanced,’ are coherent wholes in which the human body stands for and symbolizes the social body.
- For another, frequent guest contributions by Sinead O'Conner and Peter Gabriel made the albums seem less like complete wholes and more like fragmented compilations.
Synonyms
entity, unit, body, piece, discrete item, ensemble, combination, package, conglomeration, object;
totality, entirety, unity
2 (the whole) All of something: the effects will last for the whole of his life...
- The head teacher says that their entire budget for the whole of last year amounted to $16.
- Only seventy odd years ago the whole of humanity thought that the entire universe verse was just our own Milky Way.
- Finally, the assertion that everything happens by necessity seems to leave the whole of morality in doubt.
Synonyms
all, every part, everything, the lot, the sum, the sum total, the aggregate
adverb [as submodifier] informal
Used to emphasize the novelty or distinctness of something: the man who’s given a whole new meaning to the term ‘cowboy’...
- A hand shake is exciting by it's closeness and novelty, but hongi or a hug is a whole different level.
- This gave rise to a whole new style of English glassware quite distinct from intricate Venetian fashions.
- I just got off the phone with him, and I think he senses that this is a whole new ballgame now.
Phrases
as a whole
in whole
in the whole (wide) world
on the whole
the whole nine yards
Origin
Old English hāl, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch heel and German heil, also to hail2. The spelling with wh- (reflecting a dialect pronunciation with w-) first appeared in the 15th century.
see holy, wassail