Adjacent Words

Whole definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WHOLE, a. Hole. [G., Gr. This seems to be connected with heal, hale. Of this the derivative wholesome, is evidence.]
1. All; total; containing the total amount or number, or the entire thing; as the whole earth; the whole world; the whole solar system; the whole army; the whole nation.
2. Complete; entire; not defective or imperfect; as a whole orange; the egg is whole; the vessel is whole.
3. Unimpaired; unbroken; uninjured.
My life is yet whole in me. 1 Samuel 1.
4. Sound; not hurt or sick.
They that are whole need not a physician. Matthew 9.
5. Restored to health and soundness; sound; well.
Thy faith hath made thee whole. Mark 5.
His hand was restored whole. Mark 3.
WHOLE, n.
1. The entire thing; the entire or total assemblage of parts. The whole of religion is contained in the short precept, Love God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself.
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12.
2. A system; a regular combination of parts.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete; "gave his whole attention"; "a whole wardrobe for the tropics"; "the whole hog"; "a whole week"; "the baby cried the whole trip home"; "a whole loaf of bread" [ant: fractional]
2: (of siblings) having the same parents; "whole brothers and sisters" [ant: half]
3: not injured [syn: unharmed, unhurt, unscathed, whole]
4: exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health; "hale and hearty"; "whole in mind and body"; "a whole person again" [syn: hale, whole]
5: acting together as a single undiversified whole; "a solid voting bloc" [syn: solid, unanimous, whole] n
1: all of something including all its component elements or parts; "Europe considered as a whole"; "the whole of American literature"
2: an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; "how big is that part compared to the whole?"; "the team is a unit" [syn: whole, unit] adv
1: to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (`whole' is often used informally for `wholly'); "he was wholly convinced"; "entirely satisfied with the meal"; "it was completely different from what we expected"; "was completely at fault"; "a totally new situation"; "the directions were all wrong"; "it was not altogether her fault"; "an altogether new approach"; "a whole new idea" [syn: wholly, entirely, completely, totally, all, altogether, whole] [ant: part, partially, partly]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English hool healthy, unhurt, entire, from Old English h?l; akin to Old High German heil healthy, unhurt, Old Norse heill, Old Church Slavic c?l? Date: before 12th century 1. a. (1) free of wound or injury ; unhurt (2) recovered from a wound or injury ; restored (3) being healed <whole of an ancient evil, I sleep sound — A. E. Housman> b. free of defect or impairment ; intact c. physically sound and healthy ; free of disease or deformity d. mentally or emotionally sound 2. having all its proper parts or components ; complete, unmodified <whole milk> <a whole egg> 3. a. constituting the total sum or undiminished entirety ; entire <owns the whole island> b. each or all of the <took part in the whole series of athletic events> 4. a. constituting an undivided unit ; unbroken, uncut <a whole roast suckling pig> b. directed to one end ; concentrated <promised to give it his whole attention> 5. a. seemingly complete or total <the whole idea is to help, not hinder> b. very great in quantity, extent, or scope <feels a whole lot better now> 6. constituting the entirety of a person's nature or development <educate the whole student> 7. having the same father and mother <whole brother> Synonyms: see perfect • wholeness noun Synonyms: whole, entire, total, all mean including everything or everyone without exception. whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or taken away <read the whole book>. entire may suggest a state of completeness or perfection to which nothing can be added <the entire population was wiped out>. total implies that everything has been counted, weighed, measured, or considered <the total number of people present>. all may equal whole, entire or total <all proceeds go to charity>. II. noun Date: 14th century 1. a complete amount or sum ; a number, aggregate, or totality lacking no part, member, or element 2. something constituting a complex unity ; a coherent system or organization of parts fitting or working together as one III. adverb Date: 14th century 1. wholly, entirely <a whole new age group — Henry Chauncey> 2. as a complete entity

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 in an uninjured, unbroken, intact, or undiminished state (swallowed it whole; there is not a plate left whole). 2 not less than; all there is of; entire, complete (waited a whole year; tell the whole truth; the whole school knows). 3 (of blood or milk etc.) with no part removed. --n. 1 a thing complete in itself. 2 all there is of a thing (spent the whole of the summer by the sea). 3 (foll. by of) all members, inhabitants, etc., of (the whole of London knows it). Phrases and idioms: as a whole as a unity; not as separate parts. go the whole hog see HOG. on the whole taking everything relevant into account; in general (it was, on the whole, a good report; they behaved well on the whole). whole cloth cloth of full size as manufactured. whole holiday a whole day taken as a holiday (cf. half holiday). whole-life insurance life insurance for which premiums are payable throughout the remaining life of the person insured. whole lot see LOT. whole note esp. US Mus. = SEMIBREVE. whole number a number without fractions; an integer. whole-tone scale Mus. a scale consisting entirely of tones, with no semitones. Derivatives: wholeness n. Etymology: OE hal f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Whole Whole, a. [OE. hole, hol, hal, hool, AS. h[=a]l well, sound, healthy; akin to OFries. & OS. h?l, D. heel, G. heil, Icel. heill, Sw. hel whole, Dan. heel, Goth. hails well, sound, OIr. c?l augury. Cf. Hale, Hail to greet, Heal to cure, Health, Holy.] 1. Containing the total amount, number, etc.; comprising all the parts; free from deficiency; all; total; entire; as, the whole earth; the whole solar system; the whole army; the whole nation. ``On their whole host I flew unarmed.'' --Milton. The whole race of mankind. --Shak. 2. Complete; entire; not defective or imperfect; not broken or fractured; unimpaired; uninjured; integral; as, a whole orange; the egg is whole; the vessel is whole. My life is yet whole in me. --2 Sam. i. 9. 3. Possessing, or being in a state of, heath and soundness; healthy; sound; well. [She] findeth there her friends hole and sound. --Chaucer. They that be whole need not a physician. --Matt. ix. 12. When Sir Lancelot's deadly hurt was whole. --Tennyson. Whole blood. (Law of Descent) See under Blood, n., 2. Whole note (Mus.), the note which represents a note of longest duration in common use; a semibreve. Whole number (Math.), a number which is not a fraction or mixed number; an integer. Whole snipe (Zo["o]l.), the common snipe, as distinguished from the smaller jacksnipe. [Prov. Eng.] Syn: All; total; complete; entire; integral; undivided; uninjured; unimpaired; unbroken; healthy. Usage: Whole, Total, Entire, Complete. When we use the word whole, we refer to a thing as made up of parts, none of which are wanting; as, a whole week; a whole year; the whole creation. When we use the word total, we have reference to all as taken together, and forming a single totality; as, the total amount; the total income. When we speak of a thing as entire, we have no reference to parts at all, but regard the thing as an integer, i. e., continuous or unbroken; as, an entire year; entire prosperity. When we speak of a thing as complete, there is reference to some progress which results in a filling out to some end or object, or a perfected state with no deficiency; as, complete success; a complete victory. All the whole army stood agazed on him. --Shak. One entire and perfect chrysolite. --Shak. Lest total darkness should by night regain Her old possession, and extinguish life. --Milton. So absolute she seems, And in herself complete. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Whole Whole, n. 1. The entire thing; the entire assemblage of parts; totality; all of a thing, without defect or exception; a thing complete in itself. ``This not the whole of life to live, Nor all of death to die. --J. Montgomery. 2. A regular combination of parts; a system. Parts answering parts shall slide into a whole. --Pope. Committee of the whole. See under Committee. Upon the whole, considering all things; taking everything into account; in view of all the circumstances or conditions. Syn: Totality; total; amount; aggregate; gross.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(wholes) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If you refer to the whole of something, you mean all of it. He has said he will make an apology to the whole of Asia for his country's past behaviour... I was cold throughout the whole of my body. ...the whole of August. QUANT: QUANT of def-n • Whole is also an adjective. He'd been observing her the whole trip... We spent the whole summer in Italy that year. = entire ADJ: ADJ n 2. A whole is a single thing which contains several different parts. An atom itself is a complete whole, with its electrons, protons and neutrons and other elements... N-COUNT: usu sing 3. If something is whole, it is in one piece and is not broken or damaged. I struck the glass with my fist with all my might; yet it remained whole... Small bones should be avoided as the dog may swallow them whole and risk internal injury. = intact ADJ: v-link ADJ, v n ADJ 4. You use whole to emphasize what you are saying. (INFORMAL) It was like seeing a whole different side of somebody... His father had helped invent a whole new way of doing business. = totally ADV: ADV adj [emphasis] • Whole is also an adjective. That saved me a whole bunch of money... ADJ: ADJ n 5. If you refer to something as a whole, you are referring to it generally and as a single unit. He described the move as a victory for the people of South Africa as a whole... As a whole we do not eat enough fibre in Britain. PHRASE: n PHR, PHR with cl 6. You use on the whole to indicate that what you are saying is true in general but may not be true in every case, or that you are giving a general opinion or summary of something. On the whole, people miss the opportunity to enjoy leisure... = generally PHRASE: PHR with cl

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. All, total. 2. Entire, undivided, integral, complete. 3. Uninjured, unimpaired, unbroken, perfect, faultless, good, firm, strong. 4. Sound, well, healthy. II. n. All, total, totality, aggregate, gross, amount, sum, sum total.

Moby Thesaurus

a certain, absolute, account, across-the-board, admissibility, admission, admitting no exception, aggregate, all, all hands, all the world, all-comprehensive, all-embracing, all-inclusive, all-out, amount, amplitude, an, any, any one, assimilation, atomic, be-all and end-all, being, blanket, box score, bulk, bunkum, cast, categorical, census, clear, coherence, cohesion, compendious, complete, completeness, composition, comprehension, comprehensive, comprehensiveness, comprisal, concentrated, conclusive, constituents, content, contents, count, coverage, decided, decisive, definite, definitive, determinate, developed, difference, divisions, downright, either, elements, eligibility, embodiment, embracement, encompassment, encyclopedic, entire, entirety, entity, envisagement, every man Jack, everybody, everyone, exclusive, exhaustive, exhaustiveness, explicit, express, extent, final, fit, fixed, flat, flat-out, flawless, force, full, full-fledged, full-grown, full-scale, global, good, gross, guts, hale, healthy, holistic, implicit, inappealable, inclusion, inclusive, inclusiveness, incorporation, index, indisputable, individual, indivisible, ingredients, innards, insides, intact, integral, integrate, integrated, inventory, irreducible, items, linkage, list, lone, magnitude, mass, matter, mature, matured, measure, measurement, membership, monadic, monistic, number, numbers, omnibus, one, one and all, one and indivisible, openness, orbicular, organism, organization, out-and-out, outright, over-all, panoramic, part, participation, parts, peremptory, perfect, plenary, positive, product, quantity, quantum, reception, reckoning, result, resultant, right, ripe, round, rounded, sane, score, simple, single, singular, sole, solid, solitary, sound, straight, straight-out, strength, substance, sum, sum total, summation, supply, sweeping, synoptic, system, tale, tally, the bottom line, the story, the whole story, tolerance, toleration, total, totality, tote, tout le monde, unabbreviated, unanalyzable, unblemished, unbroken, uncircumscribed, unconditional, unconditioned, uncut, undamaged, undiminished, undistracted, undivided, undoubting, unequivocal, unexpurgated, unhampered, unhesitating, unhurt, uniform, unimpaired, uninjured, unique, unitary, unity, universal, unlimited, unmarred, unmistakable, unmitigated, unqualified, unquestioning, unreserved, unrestricted, unswerving, untouched, unwaivable, utter, well, well-rounded, wholesome, without exception, without omission, without reserve, x number