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Altogether vs Entirely - What's the difference?

altogether | entirely | Related terms |

As adverbs the difference between altogether and entirely

is that altogether is without exception; wholly; completely while entirely is to the full or entire extent.

altogether

English

Adverb

(-)
  • Without exception; wholly; completely.
  • * 1891 , , The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches,"
  • Your advice will be altogether invaluable to me.
  • * , chapter=3
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.”  He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis […] interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily procurable.}}
  • On the whole; with everything considered.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=November 10, author=Jeremy Wilson
  • , title=tEngland Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report, work=Telegraph citation , passage=A sell-out crowd of 10,000 then observed perfectly a period of silence before the team revealed their black armbands, complete with stitched-in poppies, for the match. After Fifa’s about-turn, it must have been a frantic few days for the England kit manufacturer. The on-field challenge was altogether more straightforward. }}

    Synonyms

    * wholly * completely * (on the whole) all in all

    Derived terms

    * in the altogether

    entirely

    English

    Alternative forms

    * entierly (chiefly archaic) * intirely (archaic or nonstandard)

    Adverb

    (-)
  • To the full or entire extent.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=May 15, author=Scott Tobias, work=The Onion AV Club
  • , title= Film: Reviews: The Dictator , passage=Unlike Ali G Indahouse, Baron Cohen’s failed attempt to bring his most famous character into an entirely fictional universe, Borat found the comic tension in placing his Kazakhstani buffoon in delicate social situations, like a rodeo where he supports the “War Of Terror” a bit too zealously.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Stephen P. Lownie], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/david-m-pelz David M. Pelz
  • , magazine=(American Scientist), title= Stents to Prevent Stroke , passage=As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time.}}
  • To the exclusion of others.
  • Synonyms

    * (to the full extent) completely * (to the exclusion of others)