total

[ toht-l ]

adjective

1. constituting or comprising the whole; entire; whole:

   the total expenditure.

   Synonyms: complete

2. of or relating to the whole of something:

   the total effect of a play.

3. complete in extent or degree; absolute; unqualified; utter:

   a total failure.

4. involving all aspects, elements, participants, resources, etc.; unqualified; all-out:

   total war.

noun

1. the total amount; sum; aggregate:

   a total of $200.

   Synonyms: totality, gross

2. the whole; an entirety:

   the impressive total of Mozart's achievement.

   Synonyms: totality, gross

verb (used with object)

, to·taled, to·tal·ing or (especially British) to·talled, to·tal·ling.

1. to bring to a total; add up.
2. to reach a total of; amount to.
3. Slang. to wreck or demolish completely:

   He totaled his new car in the accident.

verb (used without object)

, to·taled, to·tal·ing or (especially British) to·talled, to·tal·ling.

1. to amount (often followed by to ).

total

/ ˈtəʊtəl /

noun

1. the whole, esp regarded as the complete sum of a number of parts

adjective

1. complete; absolute

   a total eclipse

   the evening was a total failure

2. prenominal being or related to a total

   the total number of passengers

verb

1. whenintr, sometimes foll by to to amount

   to total six pounds

2. tr to add up

   to total a list of prices

3. slang.
   tr to kill or badly injure (someone)
4. tr to damage (a vehicle) beyond repair

Derived Forms

• ˈtotally, adverb

Other Words From

• quasi-total adjective
• quasi-total·ly adverb
• re·total verb (used with object) retotaled retotaling or (especially British) retotalled retotalling noun
• super·total noun
• un·totaled adjective
• un·totalled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of total¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Medieval Latin tōtālis , equivalent to Latin tōt(us) “entire” + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of total¹

C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin tōtālis, from Latin tōtus all

Synonym Study

See whole.

Example Sentences

He “did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and ... he may have fallen in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness,” officials said.

From Los Angeles Times

Seeing how easily Elphaba’s good nature is twisted to fit the agenda of those who seek uniformity and total control is unnervingly parallel to the racist rhetoric so often parroted by conservative mouthpieces.

From Salon

He also accused the Home Office of a “total lack of transparency”, saying local authorities were not being consulted.

From BBC

In addition, the older generation increased by about 42,500 people, accounting for 37.1% of the total population.

From Science Daily

Of the total responses, 72% stated they lost wages because of air quality or school closures that forced them to leave their jobs to pick up their children, and 14% were evacuated from their homes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• add
• amount to
• come to
• comprise
• consist of
• equal
• pile up
• reach
• yield

More About Total

What does total mean?

Total describes the wholeness or entirety of something, like the total amount of cake you ate last night. If you ate the total cake, you ate the entire cake (and might have felt sick afterward!).

Total describes the breadth of something either physically or conceptually. For example, your total order describes all the items in your purchase. While if you’re a total success, you are completely successful.

A total is the complete amount or sum. The total on your restaurant bill is the entire amount of money you owe for your meal.

A total can also be the entirety of something. The total of your book collection would be all the books you own, and the total of your sports equipment is all the equipment you own.

Finally, to total is to add up (to total your bill) or to reach an amount, as in The bill totalled up to $56.75.

Example: The total on the bill is higher than I expected because I forgot about sales tax.

Where does total come from?

The first records of the term total come from the 1300s. It comes from the Medieval Latin tōtālis.

Total also has a slang sense, meaning to completely destroy, as in I totaled my car or The building was totaled. When something is totaled, it is completely destroyed or broken down beyond usability. For a total understanding of total, read on!

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to total?

• quasi-total (adjective)
• retotal (verb)
• totally (adverb)
• untotalled (adjective)

What are some synonyms for total?

• all
• budget
• add
• reach
• complete
• thorough

What are some words that share a root or word element with total?

• totalistic
• totalize
• totality

What are some words that often get used in discussing total?

• bill
• capacity
• recall
• transfusion
• war

How is total used in real life?

Total is used in a wide variety of contexts, including as an adjective when discussing the scope of something, a noun when discussing a dollar amount, and a verb when discussing the destruction of something.

I’m in total disbelief right now 💔

— Normani (@Normani) September 7, 2018

When Notre Dame stops paying Charlie Weis after tomorrow, the total bill will come to about $49.5 million. That's for 35 wins.

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 31, 2015

Added honey and almond milk. Was a total success. Tasted like Honey Nut Cheerios.

— Glenn Howerton (@GlennHowerton) June 24, 2017

Try using total!

Which of the following is NOT a synonym for total?

A. all
B. whole
C. part
D. complete