entirety

American  

[en-tahyuhr-tee, -tahy-ri-] / ɛnˈtaɪər ti, -ˈtaɪ rɪ- /

noun

plural

entireties

1. the state of being entire; completeness.

   Homer's Iliad is rarely read in its entirety.

2. something that is entire; the whole.

   He devoted the entirety of his life to medical research.

---

entirety British  

/ ɪnˈtaɪərɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state of being entire or whole; completeness

2. 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.

Example Sentences

“Inflation is almost eating up the entirety of Americans’ wage gains already,” Long added.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Rodri won the Ballon d'Or in 2024 but missed almost the entirety of last season after sustaining a knee injury and City failed to win a major trophy for the first time in eight years.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

He sat for the entirety of the government’s argument, led by Solicitor General John Sauer.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

But the shuttle wasn’t delivering the module anywhere—it resided for the entirety of its existence in space within the shuttle’s cargo bay, effectively a part of the shuttle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

It felt like the entirety of Granger history was watching me as I heard Noah confronting Stephanie around the corner.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan