noun
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the state of being entire or whole; completeness
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a thing, sum, amount, etc, that is entire; whole; total
Etymology
Origin of entirety
1300–50; Middle English enter ( e ) te < Middle French entierete < Latin integritāt- (stem of integritās ). See integer, -ity
Explanation
The noun entirety describes something that is total or complete, like when you eat a pizza in its entirety, leaving not even one slice for other people. The noun entirety comes from the Latin word integritas, meaning “untouched” or “whole.” If a televised football game goes long, the announcers might say, "Your local news will air in its entirely after the game." That means the news will be its normal length, not shortened. If you did your assigned reading in its entirety, it means you completed it, reading every page, not just skipping around.
Vocabulary lists containing entirety
Obama on Race 2008
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Obama's health care law -- NYTimes
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Part 3 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
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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.
“Since World War II everyone was relying on the U.S. Navy to protect the freedom of the seas. It was taken for granted. The entirety of global trade by ship relies on this,” she said.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
Russell is a very rare case - most F1 academies do not pay the entirety of the fees, so the driver will still have to find some money to cover whatever is left.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
And Ali Siddiq has become so huge, he’s like the success story of this storytelling show in its entirety.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Joe Ferguson, president of the Civic Federation, a Chicago watchdog group that tracks local and state finances, said the city fails to look at taxes in their entirety.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Margo Roth Spiegelman, whose six-syllable name was often spoken in its entirety with a kind of quiet reverence.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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.
