wholly
Etymology

From Middle English holly, holeliche, holliche (also as halely, hallich, etc.

Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈhəʊ.li/, [ˈhəʊ.lɪ], /ˈhəʊl.li/, [ˈhɒʊɫ.lɪ]
  • (America) IPA: /ˈhoʊ.li/, [ˈhoʊ.li], /ˈhoʊl.li/, [ˈhoʊɫ.li]
Adverb

wholly (not comparable)

  1. Completely and entirely; to the fullest extent; (loosely, exaggeratedly) very; to a great extent.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Joshua 14:9 ↗:
      And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet haue troden, shall be thine inheritance, and thy childrens for euer, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God.
    • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter II, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:
      Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations.
  2. Exclusively and solely.
    A creature wholly given to brawls and wine.
Synonyms Antonyms
  • (antonym(s) of “completely”): partly



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