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entirely

American  
[en-tahyuhr-lee] / ɛnˈtaɪər li /

adverb

  1. wholly or fully; completely or unreservedly.

    I am not entirely satisfied with the architect's design.
    Synonyms:
    thoroughly, totally

  2. solely or exclusively.

entirely British  
/ ɪnˈtaɪəlɪ /

adverb

  1. without reservation or exception; wholly; completely

  2. solely or exclusively; only

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of entirely

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at entire, -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those currents have multiple overlapping causes and cannot entirely be described in terms of right and left.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

This does not mean binary stars lack planets entirely.

From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026

That was not entirely unusual in the disco era.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

Mystic, once secluded from the road, is now entirely visible since the flood razed the stand of trees and vegetation that once screened off the outside world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

It swallowed up the entire peninsula, and when it was gone, South Florida had been entirely erased from the map.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.