full-scale

adjective

ˈfu̇l-ˌskāl 

1

: identical to an original in proportion and size

full-scale drawing

2

a

: involving full use of available resources

a full-scale biography

full-scale war

b

: total, complete

a full-scale musical renaissance

—Current Biography

Synonyms

• thorough
• extensive
• comprehensive
• complete
• sweeping
• exhaustive

Examples of full-scale in a Sentence

a full-scale search and rescue for the victims of the rock slide

Recent Examples on the Web

The city -- home to more than 710,000 people before Russia's full-scale invasion -- is now only around 16 miles from the front line and subject to continuous Russian attacks. —David Brennan, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025

And of course, even the $2,000 iPhone 17 Pro Max with two terabytes of storage still comes in at much less than the cost of a full-scale TV-quality camera rig, opening the possibility of bringing top-level picture quality to more events. —Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2025

This would serve as the final step before full-scale commercial operations. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025

The Ukrainian leader’s remarks come as his country is under martial law, imposed since Russia’s full-scale invasion started in February 2022. —Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for full-scale

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

full-scale

adjective

ˈfu̇l-ˈskā(ə)l

1

: identical to an original in size

2

: not limited in any way : using everything that can be used

a full-scale war