Main Entry: ¹whole

Pronunciation: \ˈhōl\

Function: adjective

Etymology: 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

Date: before 12th century

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>

synonyms see perfect

— whole·ness noun

synonyms whole, entire, total, all mean including everything or everyone without exception. whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away <read the whole book>. entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added <the entire population was wiped out>. total implies that everything has been counted, weighed, measured, or considered <the total number of people present>. all may equal whole, entire, or total <all proceeds go to charity>.