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
Koch’s vile conduct spawns a number of unnecessary fantasy sequences either brought on by the comics or wholly imagined by Ed.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025
Sadly, our country’s leaders appear to be wholly uninterested in raising more generations of empathetic children, much less helping immigrant children and families to feel safe and welcomed in their new homeland.
—Priscilla Blossom, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
The goal is to have a regular cadence of experiences, some wholly original and some built on a central premise.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2025
And in no way is Baldelli blameless, or even wholly undeserving of being dismissed.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholly
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Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2025
Sadly, our country’s leaders appear to be wholly uninterested in raising more generations of empathetic children, much less helping immigrant children and families to feel safe and welcomed in their new homeland.
—Priscilla Blossom, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
The goal is to have a regular cadence of experiences, some wholly original and some built on a central premise.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2025
And in no way is Baldelli blameless, or even wholly undeserving of being dismissed.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 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 7 Oct. 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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