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
In the Forsaken years, this was once a company of 1300+ almost wholly devoted to a single game with even two support studios in tow.
—
Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Raise salaries, diminish contractual obligations to teach, include the expenses of laboratory instruction and add the depreciation of expensive buildings — all factors in the sciences — and tuition becomes wholly inadequate to cover even the cost of instruction.
—Clifford Ando, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
The result is an unexpected Gulf Coast haven that feels familiar yet wholly uncharted.
—Katie Strasberg Rousso, Southern Living, 12 July 2025
No one is wholly good or wholly bad, although the most sensitive amongst us cannot stand the way the most calloused amongst us can be.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholly
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Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Raise salaries, diminish contractual obligations to teach, include the expenses of laboratory instruction and add the depreciation of expensive buildings — all factors in the sciences — and tuition becomes wholly inadequate to cover even the cost of instruction.
—Clifford Ando, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
The result is an unexpected Gulf Coast haven that feels familiar yet wholly uncharted.
—Katie Strasberg Rousso, Southern Living, 12 July 2025
No one is wholly good or wholly bad, although the most sensitive amongst us cannot stand the way the most calloused amongst us can be.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 11 July 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 19 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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