wholly

adverb

whol·​ly ˈhō(l)-lē How to pronounce wholly (audio)
1
: to the full or entire extent : completely
a wholly owned subsidiary
2
: to the exclusion of other things : solely
a book dealing wholly with herbs

Examples of wholly in a Sentence

She is wholly devoted to her children. An infant is wholly dependent on its mother. The claim is wholly without merit.
Recent Examples on the Web Plus, this is a wholly separate trial, meaning there will be a different jury, evidentiary rulings and legal strategies. Eric Levenson, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Robin’s abandonment and Ivy’s smothering — but these supporting characters’ changes are wholly unmotivated. Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 And the number that President Biden himself has described as wholly insufficient is something like 96 trucks per day. Elena Burnett, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 The caliph — not wholly unlike the pontiff in Rome for Catholics — was the leading, unifying temporal authority of the Muslim world. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The Hooters mascot then swooped in to prevent her from quitting, while being wholly indifferent to her colleagues. William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 Rigatoni lashed with a veal ragù and the wholly unexpected of cantaloupe, as well as prosciutto and ricotta. John Mariani, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 On the subject of her own work, Jonas, like many artists, is somewhat cryptic, which is wholly appropriate for someone whose pieces require viewers to engage actively, giving the work meaning — or even completing it — themselves. Susan Dominus Emiliano Granado, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 In the music video for the brash song — one that wholly embraces her position as an artist who straddles the line of pop star and cult favorite — Charli wreaks havoc in a semi-empty airport. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wholly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hoolly, from hool whole

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wholly was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near wholly

Cite this Entry

“Wholly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wholly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wholly

adverb
whol·​ly ˈhōl-(l)ē How to pronounce wholly (audio)
1
: to the full or entire extent : completely
a wholly different view
2
: to the exclusion of other things : solely
a book devoted wholly to sports cars

More from Merriam-Webster on wholly

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