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whole

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word whole distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of whole are all, entire, and total. While all these words mean "including everything or everyone without exception," whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away.

read the whole book

How is all related to other words for whole?

All may equal whole, entire, or total.

all proceeds go to charity

When could entire be used to replace whole?

The words entire and whole are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added.

the entire population was wiped out

When would total be a good substitute for whole?

While in some cases nearly identical to whole, total implies that everything has been counted, weighed, measured, or considered.

the total number of people present

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 whole
Adjective
But the reality of resisting this kind of company, having found one another again, is a whole different animal. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 30 May 2025 The tournament will determine once and for all who is the best club team in the whole world. Tim Spiers, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Noun
To put the current situation in context, 10.5 million tourists arrived in the first three months of 2025, more than visited Japan in the whole of 2013. Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025 The Forest Service manages another 193 million acres ‒ bigger than the whole of Texas. Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for whole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whole
Adjective
  • Last Sunday, the historically Black all-male college where Hubert was a rising sophomore awarded him a posthumous Bachelor of Arts degree in religion.
    Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 25 May 2025
  • Also while at Kansas, Townsend has coached 13 NBA Draft lottery selections, more than 30 overall NBA draftees and 70 all-Big 12 Jayhawks.
    Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Beyond the athletic competition, the Enhanced Games are making the grand case that safe use of PEDs at their events can trickle down to the general public, allowing people to live happier, healthier, and more productive lives.
    Sean Gregory, Time, 21 May 2025
  • This will enable you to see if the organization is financially healthy.
    Maayan Aviv, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Liverpool to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold early — enabling the right-back to be available for their entire Club World Cup campaign.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • Mama Bear and the entire family appreciate the outpouring of love and support from friends, fans, and the public.
    Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • The assault comes as Ukraine and Russia prepared to conduct the third and final day of a prisoner swap in which both sides will exchange a total of 1,000 people each.
    Max Hunder, USA Today, 25 May 2025
  • Reckoning is looking at a $65 million three-day domestic haul, $75-80 million four-day total.
    Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Adjective
  • Here's why communication skills deserve your undivided attention in 2025 and beyond.
    Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
  • The Pope blessed the mom, then the dad, then his undivided attention on our baby Luke.
    NBC News, NBC news, 11 May 2025
Adjective
  • Crockpots are still made well, as are, in my experience anyway, the more modernized version: Instant Pots.
    Parker Hall, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2025
  • The witch’s magic is still MIA, but her attitude is well and truly back.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 19 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • There’s something about that that felt very whole and complete, because that’s the surprise of it.
    Lauren Coates, Variety, 24 May 2025
  • The Beats Studio Pro are wireless, over-ear headphones that offer a rich, well-balanced sound complete with head-tracking spatial audio.
    Cierra Cowan, PC Magazine, 24 May 2025
Noun
  • In Game 6, the Knicks made far too many errors that, in totality, amounted to an avalanche of Pacers points.
    Joe Vardon, New York Times, 31 May 2025
  • In totality, the Paul–Chavez Jr. card, which is also strengthened by Zurdo Ramirez’s unified title defense against Dorticós, makes this a strong summer boxing event.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Whole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whole. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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