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b
: free of defect or impairment : intact
c
: physically sound and healthy : free of disease or deformity
d
: mentally or emotionally sound
wholeness
noun
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Adjective
The doctor assured me that the whole procedure would only take a few minutes.
The whole place was remodeled. It looks great now.
It's been a whole week since I've seen him.
I spent the whole summer traveling through Europe.
The whole evening was a great success.
She read the whole book in one day.
I've been waiting my whole life for this.
We decided to forget the whole thing.
We cooked a whole chicken.
The community center offers a whole range of programs.
Noun
the landlord eventually refunded the whole of our deposit
Adverb
We cooked the chicken whole.
The frog swallowed the fly whole.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Fortune Editors, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2023
Complex carbohydrates, such as beans, peas, vegetables and whole grains provide vitamins, minerals and fiber that can go missing in processed and refined foods.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 29 Jan. 2023
Hannah Christine Shetler plays Karma, a smart, hip teenager who has struggled her whole life with the knowledge that her mother, Sunny (Kimberly Alexander), conceived her with a notorious demonic cult leader, Paul De Grendel (Madsen).
—Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2023
Though the 34-year-old star has, as the doc makes clear, been overlooked and underestimated his whole life, the film looks at his desire to prove doubters wrong in two stages of his life.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2023
This friend was born in federal, has been in and out of prison his whole life.
—Riley Van Steward, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023
Stacey Rollins, 56, has lived in the Robert F. Wagner Houses in East Harlem her whole life.
—Mihir Zaveri, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2023
Erin Moriarty: — lost Laura who — who had her whole life ahead of her.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2023
Wells said that White, a lifelong Hoosier, kept old friends close for his whole life, and always stayed true to his roots.
—Claire Rafford, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Jan. 2023
Nick Hennion, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2023
After her 8-year-old daughter identified as gay to Bristol last year, the mother began to question whether Sarasota or Florida as a whole were the best places for her family.
—Samantha Gholar, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2023
The 4th district incorporates sections of Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa and Chandler and is considered competitive, voting Democratic 1% more than the country as a whole.
—Tara Kavaler, The Arizona Republic, 17 Jan. 2023
Christians who experience deconstruction often leave specific religious affiliations, while others may leave the faith as a whole.
—Brianna Griff, Chron, 15 Jan. 2023
And then there’s the question of how McMahon’s return affects the pro wrestling industry as a whole.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 14 Jan. 2023
For the year as a whole, after including dividends, the S&P 500 lost 18 percent, the worst return since 2008.
—Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2023
While conversations surrounding being kind were par for the course in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school as a whole, verbiage surrounding the topic seems to dwindle as age goes on.
—Rebecca Norris, Woman's Day, 12 Jan. 2023
As a whole, the experiences make the case that King’s famous speech isn’t just a series of vague platitudes or the eulogy for a racist American past, but a set of unresolved grievances that have only grown in relevance.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 12 Jan. 2023
Dallas News, 9 Dec. 2022
The hope is that, with time, these productions can help make the industry whole again.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Nov. 2022
Can Bush change the record books and make USC whole again?
—Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2021
Gokhman and his colleagues knew that the true test of their method would be when researchers unearthed a Denisovan bone whole enough to measure.
—Leslie Nemo, Discover Magazine, 19 Sep. 2019
Spending time alone is one way to feed your soul, pour into your cup, and show up to your relationship whole.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 27 Dec. 2022
Even with the starting lineup again whole at the start, that pattern continued in Friday night’s 111-108 loss to the visiting Indiana Pacers.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2022
Monterey Fish Market in Berkeley, for example, has whole cooked Washington Dungeness for $32.99 per crab.
—Mario Cortez, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Dec. 2022
Though Asia is the epicenter of the shark fin market, fins can be legally harvested by commercial fishermen in the U.S. if fishermen bring the fish to land whole.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 21 Dec. 2022
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Adjective
Coffee in the morning, double espresso, dash of steamed milk; English tea in the afternoon, a splash of whole milk in a big comforting mug.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2023
Complex carbohydrates, such as beans, peas, vegetables and whole grains provide vitamins, minerals and fiber that can go missing in processed and refined foods.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 29 Jan. 2023
Hannah Christine Shetler plays Karma, a smart, hip teenager who has struggled her whole life with the knowledge that her mother, Sunny (Kimberly Alexander), conceived her with a notorious demonic cult leader, Paul De Grendel (Madsen).
—Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2023
Though the 34-year-old star has, as the doc makes clear, been overlooked and underestimated his whole life, the film looks at his desire to prove doubters wrong in two stages of his life.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2023
This friend was born in federal, has been in and out of prison his whole life.
—Riley Van Steward, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023
Stacey Rollins, 56, has lived in the Robert F. Wagner Houses in East Harlem her whole life.
—Mihir Zaveri, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2023
Erin Moriarty: — lost Laura who — who had her whole life ahead of her.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2023
Wells said that White, a lifelong Hoosier, kept old friends close for his whole life, and always stayed true to his roots.
—Claire Rafford, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Jan. 2023
Noun
For the season as a whole, Jokic has cleared this number in 52 % of all Nuggets games.
—Nick Hennion, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2023
After her 8-year-old daughter identified as gay to Bristol last year, the mother began to question whether Sarasota or Florida as a whole were the best places for her family.
—Samantha Gholar, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2023
The 4th district incorporates sections of Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa and Chandler and is considered competitive, voting Democratic 1% more than the country as a whole.
—Tara Kavaler, The Arizona Republic, 17 Jan. 2023
Christians who experience deconstruction often leave specific religious affiliations, while others may leave the faith as a whole.
—Brianna Griff, Chron, 15 Jan. 2023
And then there’s the question of how McMahon’s return affects the pro wrestling industry as a whole.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 14 Jan. 2023
For the year as a whole, after including dividends, the S&P 500 lost 18 percent, the worst return since 2008.
—Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2023
While conversations surrounding being kind were par for the course in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school as a whole, verbiage surrounding the topic seems to dwindle as age goes on.
—Rebecca Norris, Woman's Day, 12 Jan. 2023
As a whole, the experiences make the case that King’s famous speech isn’t just a series of vague platitudes or the eulogy for a racist American past, but a set of unresolved grievances that have only grown in relevance.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 12 Jan. 2023
Adverb
In Texas, state leaders from the governor on down have approved borrowing $6.3 billion in bonds to make gas and electricity companies whole again after massive losses from the big deadly storm.
—Dallas News, 9 Dec. 2022
The hope is that, with time, these productions can help make the industry whole again.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Nov. 2022
Can Bush change the record books and make USC whole again?
—Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2021
Gokhman and his colleagues knew that the true test of their method would be when researchers unearthed a Denisovan bone whole enough to measure.
—Leslie Nemo, Discover Magazine, 19 Sep. 2019
Spending time alone is one way to feed your soul, pour into your cup, and show up to your relationship whole.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 27 Dec. 2022
Even with the starting lineup again whole at the start, that pattern continued in Friday night’s 111-108 loss to the visiting Indiana Pacers.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2022
Monterey Fish Market in Berkeley, for example, has whole cooked Washington Dungeness for $32.99 per crab.
—Mario Cortez, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Dec. 2022
Though Asia is the epicenter of the shark fin market, fins can be legally harvested by commercial fishermen in the U.S. if fishermen bring the fish to land whole.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 21 Dec. 2022
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These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'whole.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English hool healthy, unhurt, entire, from Old English hāl; akin to Old High German heil healthy, unhurt, Old Norse heill, Old Church Slavonic cělŭ
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of whole was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing whole
Dictionary Entries Near whole
Cite this Entry
“Whole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whole. Accessed 31 Jan. 2023.
Kids Definition
Medical Definition
whole
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on whole
Nglish: Translation of whole for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of whole for Arabic Speakers
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