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
The following off-season, the team’s moves were not wholly inspiring.
—
Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Florida hemp products that violate the federal legislation would still be legal to sell in Florida, as long as the hemp was wholly grown, processed and distributed in Florida, Miller said.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 14 Nov. 2025
Among the thousands of comments left on Mitchell’s post, most argue that skin care for children is wholly unnecessary, while others have concerns around beauty standards and body-image development.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 13 Nov. 2025
But the central narrative, of the emotional dance between these two men over decades, holds even as the running time, while never boring you, often feels exaggerated for the sake of epicness rather than wholly necessary to this telling.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholly
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Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Florida hemp products that violate the federal legislation would still be legal to sell in Florida, as long as the hemp was wholly grown, processed and distributed in Florida, Miller said.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 14 Nov. 2025
Among the thousands of comments left on Mitchell’s post, most argue that skin care for children is wholly unnecessary, while others have concerns around beauty standards and body-image development.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 13 Nov. 2025
But the central narrative, of the emotional dance between these two men over decades, holds even as the running time, while never boring you, often feels exaggerated for the sake of epicness rather than wholly necessary to this telling.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Nov. 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 24 Nov. 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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