View synonyms for

altogether

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

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adverb

wholly; entirely; completely; quite:
altogether fitting.
Synonyms: , ,
with all or everything included:
The debt amounted altogether to twenty dollars.
with everything considered; on the whole:
Altogether, I'm glad it's over.

altogether

/ ˌɔːltəˈɡɛðə; ˈɔːltəˌɡɛðə /

adverb

with everything included
altogether he owed me sixty pounds
completely; utterly; totally
he was altogether mad
on the whole
altogether it was a very good party

noun

in the altogether informal.
naked

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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.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of altogether¹

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

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

in the altogether, Informal. nude ( def 1 ):
When the phone rang she had just stepped out of the bathtub and was in the altogether.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The few hundred "Never Resident" voters would be excluded from the count altogether.

From

Many voters in Alberta, however, dismiss the notion of independence altogether, even if they agree that the province has been overlooked.

From

The NHF says one in three providers in England it surveyed say they may have to stop providing services altogether, meaning the loss of 70,000 supported homes across the country.

From

“He ultimately ceased communications with the actors altogether.”

From

That’s no small feat, just like it’s no small request to ask people to reduce the franchise’s role in their lives, or give it up altogether.

From

Related Words

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

alto flute alto horn

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