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entirely

UK/ɪnˈtaɪəli/US/ɪnˈtaɪɹli/
adverbB1Very common — you will meet it every day · #1,518 of 15,258neutral

Entirely means completely, with nothing left out. Entirely wrong, entirely different, not entirely.

Not entirely is the useful form: it concedes part of a point while withholding the rest, which is why it appears so often in careful disagreement. Entirely is stronger than largely and weaker than nothing else. Note entire, from the Latin for untouched, the same root as integrity.

Definitions of entirely

  1. 1adverbentirelyCompletely, with nothing left out.B1

    “I entirely agree with you; it's a terrible idea.”

entirely is an intensifier.

Also accepted in games: fully

Where it comes from

Entire plus -ly, from Latin integer, whole or untouched. Integrity and integer come from the same wholeness.

  1. Middle English

    entyerly

  2. English, today

    entirely

From Middle English entyerly, entierly, enterely, entyreliche, equivalent to entire + -ly.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

entirely in the wild

  • The continents of North America and mainland Eurasia are located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, together with about two-thirds of Africa and a small part of South America.

    Northern Hemisphere

  • The park is located entirely within British Columbia, bordering Jasper National Park in Alberta.

    Mount Robson Provincial Park

  • The park is named for Mount Robson, which has the highest point in the Canadian Rockies and is located entirely within the park.

    Mount Robson Provincial Park

  • Lake Claire is the largest lake which is entirely in Alberta, Canada.

    Lake Claire (Alberta)

  • One of these contains Mount Waddington, the highest summit entirely within British Columbia.

    Pacific Ranges

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

  • entire