fully

fully — adverb

1. to the greatest possible degree; with nothing left out or unfinished — for examp

1.adverbB1
Definition

to the greatest possible degree; with nothing left out or unfinished — for example, fully recovering from an illness, fully understanding a concept, or being fully aware of a risk.

Example

Andrés fully recovered from his knee surgery in just six weeks.

fully + verb of change: recover

The scientists have not fully understood how the drug affects the brain.

negative: not fully + past participle

Common collocations
  • fully understand
  • fully recover
  • fully aware
  • fully booked
  • fully functional
  • fully automatic
  • fully committed
  • fully prepared
Synonyms
  • completely

    more neutral and widely applicable than 'fully'; fits any register

  • entirely

    emphasises that no part is left out; slightly more formal

  • totally

    informal or emphatic; common in everyday speech

  • wholly

    more formal and less frequent in everyday use

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

fully + adjective/past participle

fully + verb

Usage Note

Common with negative constructions (not fully understand, not fully aware) to express partial rather than total completeness. Frequently paired with past participles of change-of-state verbs (recovered, booked, completed).

Common Mistakes

I fully slept for eight hours.
I slept for a full eight hours.
'fully' is unnatural with verbs describing duration or quantity; use 'a full' + noun instead.
The glass is fully empty.
The glass is completely empty.
'fully' implies a positive state of being filled; 'completely' is neutral.

2. to the greatest degree possible in a given situation, often implying that limita

2.adverbB2
Definition

to the greatest degree possible in a given situation, often implying that limitations prevent reaching absolute completeness — for example, using your time fully, or a report that does not fully capture a problem.

Example

The report does not fully capture the struggles of small farmers in the region.

not fully + verb of representation: capture

To fully appreciate the painting, you need to stand back and look at it from a distance.

fully + verb: appreciate

Common collocations
  • fully satisfied
  • fully capture
  • fully utilise
  • fully explore
  • more fully
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

fully + verb

more fully + verb (comparative)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (COMPLETELY): sense 1 implies an absolute end state (fully recovered = 100% recovered), while sense 2 implies doing something as much as circumstances allow (more fully use your time — perhaps 80%, limited by other constraints). The comparative form 'more fully' belongs exclusively to this sense.

Idioms

fully armed

idiom

carrying or supplied with all necessary weapons, equipment, or information needed to deal with a situation.

The soldiers were fully armed and ready to move out at dawn.

Tamar went into the meeting fully armed with data and expert opinions.

fully aware

idiom

having complete knowledge or understanding of a fact or situation.

We are fully aware of the risks involved in this project.

Hyun was fully aware that the decision would affect the whole family.

fully booked

idiom

having no available seats, rooms, or appointments left.

The restaurant was fully booked for Valentine's Day by the end of January.

I called three dentists, but all were fully booked until next month.

fully fledged

idiom

completely developed or established; having full status or qualifications.

After three years of training, Linh became a fully fledged engineer.

What started as a hobby is now a fully fledged business with twenty staff.

fully — suffix

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four words mean 'to the full degree,' but they differ in nuance and register. COMPLETELY is the most neutral and common — it works in nearly any context (completely finished, completely wrong). ENTIRELY emphasises that every single part is included (entirely new approach) and is slightly more formal. TOTALLY is informal and often emphatic (totally forgot, totally different) — avoid it in formal writing. WHOLLY is rare in speech and restricted to formal or literary contexts (wholly dependent on aid). Use COMPLETELY for everyday situations, ENTIRELY when you want to stress full inclusion, and TOTALLY in casual conversation with close friends. For example: 'I completely agree' (neutral, polite). 'I totally agree' (friendly, enthusiastic). 'The proposal is entirely unacceptable' (formal, strong).

completely ↗entirely ↗totally ↗wholly ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • fully automatic machine
  • fully functional system
  • fully armed soldier
  • fully qualified teacher

Phrases

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

FULLY comes from Old English 'fullīce', which was formed by adding the adverbial suffix '-līce' (modern '-ly') to 'full' ('full'). It has been used in English since before the year 1000, originally meaning 'abundantly' or 'in a full manner'. Over time it developed the modern sense of 'completely' or 'to the maximum degree'. The suffix '-fully' (as in beautifully) is a separate formation: adjectives ending in '-ful' (beautiful, wonderful) add '-ly' to become adverbs, so '-fully' is actually '-ful' + '-ly' rather than deriving from the word 'fully' itself.