wholly

adverb

whol·​ly ˈhō(l)-lē 

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

Synonyms of wholly

• completely
• fully
• totally
• utterly
• quite
• perfectly
• entirely
• all
• thoroughly
• even
• fast

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

Sachin Ohal, a veteran chief technology officer at International Systems Technologies, said the reputational issue for Nvidia is wholly separate from the operational tie-up between two companies. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026

By excluding buildings, partially or wholly, speculators would pay more than homeowners, and parking lots would pay more than retail. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026

Sometimes there’s wholly owned, sometimes they’re partly owned. —Alex Crippen, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026

Bono shared a note with fans, once again assuring them that a new album is still in the works, and that these EPs are side detours on the way to a wholly separate full-length. —Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hoolly, from hool whole

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wholly

• coaly
• coli
• foley
• folie
• goalie
• holy
• lowly
• moly
• slowly
• tolly
• acholi
• emboli

Kids Definition

wholly

adverb

whol·​ly ˈhōl-(l)ē 

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