What does "whole" mean?
Something complete, without any parts missing.
Whole
/həʊl/ adj, adv, noun, slang
adj, adv, noun, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something complete, without any parts missing.
- Grammar: whole is listed as adj, adv, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: a certain, absolute, account, across the board.
- Useful contrasts: gimpy, anatomical structure, chemical component.
- Usage evidence: It almost scared me not to see you online for a whole day.
How to use "whole"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "whole" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "whole" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "whole" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "whole" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "whole" is acting as adj, adv, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "a certain" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "whole", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something complete, without any parts missing.
"This variety of fascinating details didn't fall together into an enjoyable, coherent whole."
- 2 an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity wordnet
- 3 An entirety.
- 4 all of something including all its component elements or parts wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Entire, undivided.
"I ate a whole fish."
- 2 Entire, undivided.; Used as an intensifier.
"I brought a whole lot of balloons for the party. She ate a whole bunch of french fries."
- 3 Sound, uninjured, healthy.
"He is of whole mind, but the same cannot be said about his physical state."
- 4 From which none of its constituents has been removed.
"whole wheat; whole milk"
- 5 As yet unworked.
Adjective
- 1 including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete wordnet
- 2 (of siblings) having the same parents wordnet
- 3 acting together as a single undiversified whole wordnet
- 4 exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health wordnet
- 5 not injured or harmed wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In entirety; entirely; wholly. colloquial
"I ate a fish whole!"
Adverb
- 1 to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent; Completely or entirely wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"It almost scared me not to see you online for a whole day."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "whole"?
Common synonyms include: a certain, absolute, account, across the board, across-the-board, admissibility.
How do you use "whole" in a sentence?
It almost scared me not to see you online for a whole day.
How do you pronounce "whole"?
Pronounced /həʊl/.
Etymology
From Middle English hol, hole (“healthy, unhurt, whole”), from Old English hāl (“healthy, safe”), from Proto-West Germanic *hail, from Proto-Germanic *hailaz (“whole, safe, sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos (“healthy, whole”). The spelling with wh-, introduced in the 15th century, represents a pronunciation with an excrescent /w/ that failed to survive in the standard language (compare one, whore). Cognates Compare West Frisian hiel, Low German heel/heil, Dutch heel, German heil, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål hel, Norwegian Nynorsk heil; also Welsh coel (“omen”), Breton kel (“omen, mention”), Old Prussian kails (“healthy”), Old Church Slavonic цѣлъ (cělŭ, “healthy, unhurt”). Related to hale, health, hail, hallow, heal, and holy.