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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
In March, the United States experienced a total lunar eclipse for the first time since 2022, which was visible from every state in the country. Opheli Garcia Lawler, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025 As of Wednesday, only 70,000 Palestinians had evacuated Gaza City out of approximately one million people, a senior Israeli official said, making up less than 10% of the total population. Ibrahim Dahman, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
The night was a fashion show for Carpenter, who rocked a total of four looks — including her bold red carpet ensemble. Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025 Joveljic now owns the third-highest goal total for a season in club history. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Goldman estimates that hyperscaler capex has totaled $368 billion so far this year. Jim Edwards, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025 In contrast, professional and business services lost 17,000 jobs, and manufacturing fell by 12,000, totaling a decline of 78,000 jobs this year. Jordan Green, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for total
Recent Examples of Synonyms for total
Adjective
  • Open spaces, huge rooms, and an absolute lack of privacy are all the rage.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
  • After a review, the ACIP decided to focus first on getting the vaccine to people at the absolute highest risk, people 65 and up, a recommendation ultimately accepted by the CDC.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Not everyone adds the entire show lineup to their Google Calendar, and the screenshot of the CFDA schedule is quickly lost in a sea of other content.
    Vogue Runway, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Best places to see the total lunar eclipse The best views of the total lunar eclipse will be from Asian and Western Australia, where skywatchers can see the entire event from start to finish, according to Time and Date.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This filtration system ensures that your floors are getting their most thorough clean, while also ridding your space of irritants like dust that can cause allergy flare-ups.
    Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Most importantly, investors should conduct thorough research and seek diverse perspectives before making decisions.
    Vilius Kavaliauskas, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • That value is ironically and necessarily bound up with independence from government control, even as its realization depends on receiving enormous sums of government money.
    Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Mark Zuckerberg has invested large sums of money into Meta.
    John Tufts, IndyStar, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Five of them will be white balls numbered from 1 to 69, and one red Powerball numbered from 1 to 26.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Thousands of Thais on Thursday watched as flight tracking data showed Thaksin’s plane, a Bombardier Global 7500 numbered T7GTS, flying toward Singapore before turning west and circling several times.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Ladd McConkey added six catches for 74 yards.
    Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • After a major measles resurgence began in 1989, scientists moved to add a second dose of the MMR vaccine to bolster protection—but the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC’s vaccine-advisory panel disagreed on the optimal time to administer it.
    Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • To avoid the busiest times, try to visit the wall and the main church ruins early in the morning or later in the afternoon when most tour groups have moved on.
    David Nikel, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Helene cost him less than 10 percent of that collection, thousands of seeds ruined when his freezers lost power and frost melted.
    Lila Hempel-Edgers, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Cane Corsos, an ancient Italian mastiff breed, are renowned for their sheer size and protective instincts.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Film studios have long struggled to make adaptations of video games that please critics and audiences, and some critics have suggested video games are tough to adapt because the sheer volume of gaming content has to be condensed to fit the length of a movie.
    Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Total.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/total. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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