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
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
Manchester City have been sponsored by Etihad — wholly owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, through its sovereign wealth fund ADQ — since 2009 and have refused to wear Emirates sleeve patches in the FA Cup since 2015 due to the two airlines being direct rivals.
—
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Leonetta seems wholly fitting within its neighborhood, for its food shares the same focus on spices and seasonings, charring and cooling yogurt as do its Indian neighbors.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Season 3, in particular, suggests that Fellowes does not wholly approve.
—Judy Berman, Time, 20 June 2025
The practice of robbing Linear Pete to pay Stock-Watching Paul has only exacerbated pay-TV’s wholly credible shrinking act, and now the traditional media giants seem to have given up on any sort of last-ditch reclamation effort.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholly
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Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Leonetta seems wholly fitting within its neighborhood, for its food shares the same focus on spices and seasonings, charring and cooling yogurt as do its Indian neighbors.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Season 3, in particular, suggests that Fellowes does not wholly approve.
—Judy Berman, Time, 20 June 2025
The practice of robbing Linear Pete to pay Stock-Watching Paul has only exacerbated pay-TV’s wholly credible shrinking act, and now the traditional media giants seem to have given up on any sort of last-ditch reclamation effort.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholly
Cite this Entry
“Wholly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wholly. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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