whole cloth

noun

: pure fabrication
usually used in the phrase out of whole cloth
the theory was created out of whole cloth

Examples of whole cloth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
They can be based on growing concerns in the community or built from whole cloth to demonstrate a problem that the community didn’t realize was there. Patrick Riccards, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025 And yeah, if that was Louise facing down a murderer and creating a character out of whole cloth with no prep? Sara Netzley, EW.com, 24 Apr. 2025 In those cases, then, AI wasn’t used to create a doc or song whole cloth, but as a tool to make something old new again. Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025 Authorship is frequently gifted to colleagues who then return the favor later, or studies may be created out of whole cloth. Guillaume Cabanac, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for whole cloth

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whole cloth was in 1823

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Cite this Entry

“Whole cloth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whole%20cloth. Accessed 4 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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