|
|
whole (h l)adj.1. Containing all components; complete: a whole wardrobe for the tropics. 2. Not divided or disjoined; in one unit: a whole loaf. 3. Constituting the full amount, extent, or duration: The baby cried the whole trip home. 4. a. Not wounded, injured, or impaired; sound or unhurt: Many escaped the fire frightened but whole. b. Having been restored; healed: After the treatment he felt whole. 5. Having the same parents: a whole sister. n.1. A number, group, set, or thing lacking no part or element; a complete thing. 2. An entity or system made up of interrelated parts: The value of the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. adv. Informal Entirely; wholly: a whole new idea. Idioms: as a whole All parts or aspects considered; altogether: disliked the acting but enjoyed the play as a whole. on the whole1. Considering everything: on the whole, a happy marriage. 2. In most instances or cases; as a rule: can expect sunny weather, on the whole.
[Middle English hole, unharmed, from Old English h l; see kailo- in Indo-European roots.]
whole ness n. Synonyms: whole, all, entire, gross, total These adjectives mean including every constituent or individual: a whole town devastated by an earthquake; all the class going on a field trip; entire shipments lost by the distributor; gross income; the total cost. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. | wholeness - an undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting; "the integrity of the nervous system is required for normal development"; "he took measures to insure the territorial unity of Croatia"state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state" completeness - the state of being complete and entire; having everything that is needed incompleteness, rawness - the state of being crude and incomplete and imperfect; "the study was criticized for incompleteness of data but it stimulated further research"; "the rawness of his diary made it unpublishable" | | 2. | wholeness - a state of robust good health |
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|