wholly

adverb

whol·​ly ˈhō(l)-lē 

1

: to the full or entire extent : completely

a wholly owned subsidiary

2

: to the exclusion of other things : solely

a book dealing wholly with herbs

Synonyms

• all
• all of
• all over
• altogether
• clean
• completely
• dead
• enough
• entire
• entirely
• even
• exactly
• fast
• flat
• full
• fully
• heartily
• out
• perfectly
• plumb [chiefly dialect]
• quite
• soundly
• thoroughly
• through and through
• totally
• utterly
• well
• wide

Examples of wholly in a Sentence

She is wholly devoted to her children.

An infant is wholly dependent on its mother.

The claim is wholly without merit.

Recent Examples on the Web

The sustainability of these agreements depends wholly on the commitment of the team: there are no byes. —Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

If it can be said that money may be left on the table in the event of a sweep, that money is also wholly hypothetical. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 29 Oct. 2024

On the inspiration behind the latest collection, Law shared it is wholly inspired by Pepsi’s Wild Cherry flavor. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 29 Oct. 2024

But according to Pressly, that definition makes a dangerous assumption, namely that humans could be wholly reduced to a set of descriptions or records. —John Kaag, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hoolly, from hool whole

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wholly

adverb

whol·​ly ˈhōl-(l)ē 

1

: to the full or entire extent : completely

a wholly different view

2

: to the exclusion of other things : solely

a book devoted wholly to sports cars