on the whole

O o

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [on, awn stressed th ee hohl]
- /ɒn, ɔn stressed ði hoʊl/
- /ɒn ðə həʊl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [on, awn stressed th ee hohl]
- /ɒn, ɔn stressed ði hoʊl/

Definitions of on the whole words

adjective on the whole comprising the full quantity, amount, extent, number, etc., without diminution or exception; entire, full, or total: He ate the whole pie. They ran the whole distance. 1
adjective on the whole containing all the elements properly belonging; complete: We have a whole set of antique china. 1
adjective on the whole undivided; in one piece: to swallow a thing whole. 1
adjective on the whole Mathematics. integral, or not fractional. 1
adjective on the whole not broken, damaged, or impaired; intact: Thankfully, the vase arrived whole. 1
adjective on the whole uninjured or unharmed; sound: He was surprised to find himself whole after the crash. 1

See all 18 definitions of on the whole

Information block about the term

Origin of on the whole

First appearance:

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; Middle English hole, hool (adj. and noun), Old English hāl (adj.); cognate with Dutch heel, German heil, Old Norse heill; see hale1, heal; spelling with w reflects dial. form

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for On the whole

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of On the whole

on the whole popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

on the whole usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for on the whole

adv on the whole

all in all — You use all in all to introduce a summary or general statement.
all over — All over a place means in every part of it.
all told — You can use all told to introduce or follow a summary, general statement, or total.
altogether — You use altogether to emphasize that something has stopped, been done, or finished completely.
as a rule — If you say that something happens as a rule, you mean that it usually happens.

adj on the whole

all together — in chorus, in unison
as a whole — If you refer to something as a whole, you are referring to it generally and as a single unit.
as one — If a group of people does something as one, all the people do the same thing at the same time or in the same way.

adverb on the whole

basically — You use basically for emphasis when you are stating an opinion, or when you are making an important statement about something.
conjointly — In a conjoint manner; jointly or together.
everyplace — (US, informal) Everywhere.
largely — to a great extent; in great part; generally; chiefly: The plan depends largely on his willingness to cooperate. That is largely incorrect.
normally — in a normal or regular way: The wound is healing normally.

adjective on the whole

jointly — together; in combination or partnership; in common: My brother and I own the farm jointly.

All 33 Synonyms of on the whole

Antonyms for on the whole

adverb on the whole

incomplete — not complete; lacking some part.
incompletely — not complete; lacking some part.
narrow — of little breadth or width; not broad or wide; not as wide as usual or expected: a narrow path.

All 3 Antonyms of on the whole

on the whole

Transcription

Definitions of on the whole words

Information block about the term

Origin of on the whole

First appearance:

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for On the whole

on the whole popularity

on the whole usage trend in Literature

Synonyms for on the whole

adv on the whole

adj on the whole

adverb on the whole

adjective on the whole

Antonyms for on the whole

adverb on the whole

See also

Matching words