altogether

[ awl-tuh-geth-er, awl-tuh-geth-er ]

adverb

1. wholly; entirely; completely; quite:

   altogether fitting.

   Synonyms: absolutely, utterly, totally

2. with all or everything included:

   The debt amounted altogether to twenty dollars.

3. with everything considered; on the whole:

   Altogether, I'm glad it's over.

altogether

/ ˌɔːltəˈɡɛðə; ˈɔːltəˌɡɛðə /

adverb

1. with everything included

   altogether he owed me sixty pounds

2. completely; utterly; totally

   he was altogether mad

3. on the whole

   altogether it was a very good party

noun

1. in the altogether informal.
   naked

Confusables Note

The forms altogether and all together, though often indistinguishable in speech, are distinct in meaning. The adverb altogether means “wholly, entirely, completely”: an altogether confused scene. The phrase all together means “in a group”: The children were all together in the kitchen. The word all can be omitted without seriously affecting the meaning: The children were together in the kitchen.

Word History and Origins

Origin of altogether¹

First recorded in 1125–75; variant of Middle English altogeder; all, together

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the altogether, Informal. nude ( def 1 ):

   When the phone rang she had just stepped out of the bathtub and was in the altogether.

Example Sentences

They put up another net loss in 2022, in the same electoral environment where Senate Democrats managed a net gain, dropping to a five-seat deficit, which effectively ended the legislative ambitions of the Biden administration altogether.

From Slate

There are different interpretations on how Hindus should treat animals, however cows are considered a sacred animal and many choose not to eat beef, while others avoid meat altogether.

From BBC

In August the BBC had learned that the prison system "came within 100 places" of running out of space altogether.

From BBC

Above all, committed to breaking what her campaign called the Curse of CD 14: over 50 years of council members who got caught up in corruption, used the seat as a stepping stone to higher office or just neglected neighborhoods altogether.

From Los Angeles Times

The UK prison population has roughly doubled in the last 30 years, with capacity lagging behind, and in September the system came within 100 places of running out of space altogether.

From BBC

Related Words

• absolutely
• fully
• perfectly
• quite
• thoroughly
• totally
• utterly
• wholly