adj

whole

hohl

adj

Complete, with no part missing or removed.

"She ate the whole pizza by herself."

"We need the whole team to finish this on time."

noun

A complete thing, made up of all its parts together.

"The individual chapters work together to form a coherent whole."

How to Use Whole

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishComplete and undivided — nothing missing.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "hole" (a gap or opening) — they sound identical but mean opposite things.

Easily confused with

hole →

Common pairings

the whole thing as a whole whole number

Word Forms

wholer comparative, more whole comparative, more whole comparative, wholes plural, wholest superlative, most whole superlative, most whole superlative

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

She ate the _____ pizza by herself.

Etymology

From Old English hāl, meaning "healthy, unhurt, complete" — the same root behind heal, health, and holy. The odd silent "w" was added in spelling centuries later, partly to keep "whole" visually distinct from "hole."

Rhymes for whole

ole hole vole mole sole pole cole dole role stole Poole parole

See all rhymes for whole →