1
: to the full or entire extent : completely
a wholly owned subsidiary
2
: to the exclusion of other things : solely
a book dealing wholly with herbs
Examples of wholly in a Sentence
She is wholly devoted to her children.
An infant is wholly dependent on its mother.
The claim is wholly without merit.
Recent Examples on the Web
Not wholly dissimilar from Azure Virtual Desktop, AWS WorkSpaces has been engineered to host virtual desktops in the cloud.
—
Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
The little bit of smooth jazz on Brandon Roberts’ score only emphasizes that the pair is living in a wholly anonymous, minimalistic template that provides them no true comfort, just the facade of abundance.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025
The $172 billion allocated in 2024 for new equipment is wholly inadequate for modernizing aircraft squadrons, updating ship fleets, producing new munitions, and buying new technology such as uncrewed systems.
—Michael Brown, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Numerous state legislatures, heavily lobbied by commercial industries, have preempted or challenged Rights of Nature laws, rendering them null, void, and wholly unenforceable.
—India Nye Wenner, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholly
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Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
The little bit of smooth jazz on Brandon Roberts’ score only emphasizes that the pair is living in a wholly anonymous, minimalistic template that provides them no true comfort, just the facade of abundance.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025
The $172 billion allocated in 2024 for new equipment is wholly inadequate for modernizing aircraft squadrons, updating ship fleets, producing new munitions, and buying new technology such as uncrewed systems.
—Michael Brown, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Numerous state legislatures, heavily lobbied by commercial industries, have preempted or challenged Rights of Nature laws, rendering them null, void, and wholly unenforceable.
—India Nye Wenner, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wholly
Cite this Entry
“Wholly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wholly. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wholly
adverb
whol·ly
ˈhōl-(l)ē 
1
: to the full or entire extent : completely
a wholly different view
2
: to the exclusion of other things : solely
a book devoted wholly to sports cars
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