altogether

1 of 2

adverb

al·​to·​geth·​er ˌȯl-tə-ˈge-t͟hər 

1

: wholly, completely

an altogether different problem

stopped raining altogether

2

: in all : all told

spent a hundred dollars altogether

3

: on the whole

Altogether their efforts were successful.

altogether

2 of 2

noun

informal

: nude

—used with the

posed in the altogether

Synonyms

Adverb

• basically
• by and large
• chiefly
• generally
• largely
• mainly
• mostly
• overall
• predominantly
• primarily
• principally
• substantially

Noun

• bareness
• birthday suit
• bottomlessness
• buff
• nakedness
• nude
• nudity
• raw

Examples of altogether in a Sentence

Adverb

They had an altogether new idea.

If we don't do something now, the forests may disappear altogether.

It's best to avoid the situation altogether.

Altogether, their efforts were successful.

Noun

had never posed in the altogether for a photographer before

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

All RSNs are facing marginalization as cable operators cut programming costs, moving the networks to more expensive tiers or off the systems altogether. —David Bloom, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023

Some studies suggest that this behavior has the potential to undermine the benefits of smart thermostats altogether. —Chris Baraniuk, WIRED, 29 Nov. 2023

The ending of the show is not altogether unexpected. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 29 Nov. 2023

Then, after the loss to UCLA, in what’s likely to be his last home game at USC, Williams avoided the media altogether. —Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023

Plans to shrink office space or leave it altogether have been the source of major headaches for London’s corporate real estate operators, who face years of painful adjustment to the new future of work. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 21 Nov. 2023

Many banks and other financial platforms avoid doing business with these industries altogether. —Tara Siegel Bernard, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023

Better to stomp strategically around the peripheries of the Con, where black cars rolled up to the V.I.P. entrance, or to abandon the Caesars complex altogether for the Four Seasons. —Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023

On Thursday, the territory was plunged into near-total blackout, and the updates stopped flowing altogether. —Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023

Noun

According to my calculations, the White House methodology yields the absurd conclusion that eliminating the corporate tax altogether would boost annual household wages by up to $20,000. —Jason Furman, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2017

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Word History

Etymology

Adverb and Noun

Middle English altogedere, from al all + togedere together

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1893, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing altogether

• in the altogether

• in the altogether

Kids Definition

altogether

adverb

al·​to·​geth·​er

ˌȯl-tə-ˈget͟h-ər

1

: wholly, thoroughly

an altogether different problem

2

: with everything taken into account : in all

the bill came to $25 altogether

3

: on the whole

altogether their efforts were successful