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noun

total

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verb

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word total distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of total are all, entire, and whole. While all these words mean "including everything or everyone without exception," total implies that everything has been counted, weighed, measured, or considered.

the total number of people present

How does the word all relate to other synonyms for total?

All may equal whole, entire, or total.

all proceeds go to charity

When can entire be used instead of total?

In some situations, the words entire and total are roughly equivalent. However, entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added.

the entire population was wiped out

Where would whole be a reasonable alternative to total?

While in some cases nearly identical to total, whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away.

read the whole book

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of total
Adjective
The competition — which featured 17 total contestants — unfolded this past weekend, with the preliminary round taking place on Saturday, May 10 and the finals on Sunday, May 11. Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 12 May 2025 On move-in night, Raffi, Charlotte, and the other two couples put their kids to bed—in total, seven children under 5 years old. Rhaina Cohen, The Atlantic, 11 May 2025
Noun
The assembly process took about 30 minutes in total. Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 12 May 2025 After opening on May 1, the film has now earned $13.1 million in total. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 May 2025
Verb
The church paid more than $18,600 for mostly materials and supplies for the snack bar, walkways, backstops and benches. Donations of labor, snack bar siding, equipment rentals, plumbing services, interior lighting, chain link fencing and base plates for the fields totaled $33,650. Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2025 Art Deco pieces totaled 807,720 Swiss francs ($960,232), nearly three times their low estimate, with 93% selling above their high estimates. Anthony Demarco, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for total
Recent Examples of Synonyms for total
Adjective
  • Loyalty and Centralized Power Imperial China placed immense value on absolute loyalty to the emperor.
    Frank Lavin, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
  • Between these six players, Toronto and Florida have some of the absolute best players in the world going head-to-head.
    The Athletic NHL, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Adjective
  • Around 5,000 buildings were destroyed in St. Louis alone, St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said in a post on X. Buildings and cars were destroyed, homes are missing entire walls and upper levels of houses and buildings are gone, photos of the disaster show.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 19 May 2025
  • An 11-mile, one-way loop road runs the entire perimeter of the valley with plenty of turn-offs that lead to hiking trails, historic homesites, picnic areas, viewpoints, and campgrounds.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • Judge Ashford did a thorough march through the standard regulatory factors.
    Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
  • Evans' interviews famously evolve from surface-level conversation starters to in-depth, deep dives into the lives of the talent in the hot seat, which often impresses — and, at times, shocks — them that his background research is so thorough.
    Skyler Caruso, People.com, 17 May 2025
Noun
  • Families outside Libya are blackmailed with cellphone videos of their relatives being tortured to pay varying sums for their release — payments that often offer no real guarantee of freedom.
    Renata Brito, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2025
  • In sum, most of eBay’s China-to-U.S. shipments are already compliant with current tariff rules, and for the rest, eBay has solutions in place to manage customs and tariff complexities.
    Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • The wolf, numbered 2512-BC, was one of 15 relocated from Canada to Colorado in January, marking the second wave of reintroductions by the state after voters approved the effort in 2020.
    Max Levy, Denver Post, 16 May 2025
  • There were quite a few pieces inside the box, but the instructions were pretty easy to follow (again, after a couple of false starts) and each part was labelled and numbered in a pretty logical manner (piece two connects to piece three and so on).
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 12 May 2025
Verb
  • This confrontation between Chinese and Western weapons represents not just a bilateral conflict but a proxy test of rival global military technologies – adding another layer of great-power competition to the crisis.
    Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 10 May 2025
  • Meanwhile, the Pelicans, who are now owned by Gayle Benson, have since added another zero to their valuation: Forbes estimates the team is worth $3.05 billion.
    Justin Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
Verb
  • However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
    Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2025
  • Sonos is very, very sorry for ruining your speaker system.
    Boone Ashworth, Wired News, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • Secrets of the Thrift Kidney's strategy centers on knowledge, patience, and sheer time investment.
    Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 May 2025
  • Elements of fabric ruching and stitching featured at the hips, with sheer fabric cascading throughout the rest of the piece.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 9 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Total.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/total. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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