wholly

wholly — adverb

1. in every way possible; to the fullest extent, with nothing left out or missing

1.adverbB2
Definition

in every way possible; to the fullest extent, with nothing left out or missing

Example

Diya was not wholly convinced by the manager's explanation.

not wholly + past participle (partial negation)

Kenji wholly devoted himself to finding a cure for the disease.

wholly + reflexive verb

Common collocations
  • wholly + adjective (wholly acceptable / wholly different / wholly unnecessary)
  • wholly + past participle (wholly convinced / wholly devoted / wholly funded)
  • not wholly (not wholly satisfied / not wholly true)
  • rely wholly on / depend wholly on
  • wholly owned (subsidiary / company)
Synonyms
  • completely

    Neutral register; the most common choice for everyday speech and writing

  • entirely

    Slightly more formal than completely, but less formal than wholly; suggests nothing is excluded

  • totally

    Informal register; very common in spoken English and casual writing

  • fully

    Emphasises sufficiency or adequacy rather than absolute completeness; naturally pairs with verbs like understand, support, agree

Antonyms
  • partially

    Indicates only part of something, the opposite of wholly

  • incompletely

    Suggests something is unfinished or lacking full coverage

Grammar Patterns

wholly + adjective

wholly + past participle

not wholly + adjective / past participle

Usage Note

More formal than completely or totally. Common in legal, academic, and formal written English but less frequent in everyday conversation. Frequently modifies adjectives (wholly different) and past participles (wholly convinced). In negative constructions, not wholly conveys partial negation, meaning 'partially but not fully'.

Common Mistakes

The project was holy funded by private donations.
The project was wholly funded by private donations.
Holy and wholly sound similar but have completely different meanings: holy means sacred, wholly means completely.
I wholly doubt his story.' (too formal for casual doubt)
I completely doubt his story.
Wholly sounds overly formal in casual disagreement; use completely or totally instead.
The machine is wholly broke.
The machine is wholly broken.
Wholly modifies adjectives/adverbs, not bare verbs in simple past; use the past participle form.

Word family

  • whole
    adjectiveA2
  • whole
    nounB1
  • wholeness
    nounC1
  • wholehearted
    adjectiveC1
  • wholeheartedly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four words express a high degree of completeness, but they differ in register and emphasis. Completely (A2) is the most neutral and widely used — it fits both formal and casual contexts without standing out. Entirely (B2) stresses that nothing is left out and works well in both writing and speech. Totally (B1) is more informal and conveys a stronger emotional tone, making it the best choice for everyday conversation. Fully (B1) focuses on sufficiency rather than absolute coverage — you fully understand something but may not know every detail. Wholly (B2) sits at the formal end of the spectrum; it is common in legal contracts ('wholly owned'), academic writing, and official documents but can sound stiff in casual speech. Example: 'I completely agree' (neutral) vs 'I totally agree' (enthusiastic, informal) vs 'I wholly concur' (formal, official). Choose wholly when the context demands a serious or authoritative tone.

completely ↗entirely ↗totally ↗fully ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • wholly + adjective (wholly acceptable / wholly different / wholly unnecessary)
  • wholly + past participle (wholly convinced / wholly devoted / wholly funded)
  • not wholly (not wholly satisfied / not wholly true)
  • rely wholly on / depend wholly on
  • wholly owned (subsidiary / company)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Wholly comes from Old English hāl meaning 'whole, healthy, uninjured,' plus the adverbial suffix -līce (modern -ly). Over time hāl lost its 'healthy' meaning in the adverbial form and came to mean 'to the full extent.' The spelling with wh- appeared in the 1400s as a Middle English convention, though the word was already pronounced with an h sound.