1 wholly | Definition of wholly

wholly

adverb
whol·​ly | \ ˈhƍ(l)-lē How to pronounce wholly (audio) \

Definition of wholly

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

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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

Farmer Ray Gaesser wants to do the right thing on his property, even if he's not convinced humans are wholly to blame for climate change. Bill Weir, CNN, "Scientists say farmers could grow their way out of the climate crisis," 8 Aug. 2019 Luxenberg is a former town school board member who currently represents the 12th House District, which is wholly within Manchester. Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com, "Lawsuit: State representative, former co-owner of Manchester political consulting firm, says partner owes him over $150,000," 6 Aug. 2019 Decades later Clarke said Conquest changed his life, setting his imagination ablaze with notions of space travel and a wholly different version of humanity. Meghan Herbst, WIRED, "A WIRED Booklover’s Guide to the Moon," 16 July 2019 In addition to the risk of infection, the workers also face a wholly different prospect of death at the hands of armed rebel militias that dominate DRC’s infected northeast region. Yomi Kazeem, Quartz Africa, "As Ebola takes hold in DRC, a Nigerian doctor reminds us of the sacrifices made in West Africa’s crisis," 21 June 2019 But while Lucifer features Watters and the Fiumara brothers building on the work that Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey, and others had done with the devil over the years, Coffin Bound is wholly original. Christian Holub, EW.com, "5 comics to read this August: Epic battles on fallen worlds," 2 Aug. 2019 Winkler seems to see that your essential self, as Buddhist thinkers say, is wholly separate from your work and your professional achievements. Lila Maclellan, Quartz at Work, "Emmy-nominated Henry Winkler does not regret jumping the shark," 30 July 2019 But the boater education course is a wholly academic exercise with no requirement of on-the-water experience, learning or testing. Shannon Tompkins, ExpressNews.com, "On the water, be safe and be nice, too," 20 July 2019 Neither may have been wholly at the races, but in Antoine Griezmann's first start in Barca blue and red, there were signs of a promising French Connection brewing with Ousmane Dembele. SI.com, "6 Things We Learned From Chelsea's Pre-Season Win Over Barcelona," 23 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wholly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of wholly

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for wholly

Middle English hoolly, from hool whole

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More Definitions for wholly

wholly

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of wholly

formal : completely or fully

wholly

adverb
whol·​ly | \ ˈhƍ-lē How to pronounce wholly (audio) \

Kids Definition of wholly

: to the limit : completely a wholly honest person

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More from Merriam-Webster on wholly

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wholly

Spanish Central: Translation of wholly

Nglish: Translation of wholly for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of wholly for Arabic Speakers