altogether

1 of 2

adverb

al·​to·​geth·​er ˌȯl-tə-ˈge-t͟hər How to pronounce altogether (audio)
Synonyms of altogether
1
: wholly, completely
an altogether different problem
stopped raining altogether
2
: in all : all told
spent a hundred dollars altogether
3
: on the whole
Altogether their efforts were successful.

altogether

2 of 2

noun

informal
: nude
—usually used in the phrase in the altogether
posing/sunbathing in the altogether
… dipped into pools, and sprawled on grassy expanses in the altogether …—Stan Persky

Synonyms of altogether

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Adverb

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of altogether in a Sentence

Adverb They had an altogether new idea. If we don't do something now, the forests may disappear altogether. It's best to avoid the situation altogether. Altogether, their efforts were successful. Noun had never posed in the altogether for a photographer before
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Arjun Bhatia, an analyst at William Blair who recommends buying Salesforce shares, said investors who turned negative on cloud software companies or eliminated their exposure altogether due to AI concerns, are starting to come back. — Jordan Novet, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 The compression did not stop dendrites from forming altogether. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
According to my calculations, the White House methodology yields the absurd conclusion that eliminating the corporate tax altogether would boost annual household wages by up to $20,000. — Jason Furman, WSJ, 22 Oct. 2017 See All Example Sentences for altogether

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English altogedere, from al all + togedere together

Noun

derivative of altogether entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of altogether was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing altogether

Rhymes for altogether

See All Rhymes for altogether

Browse Nearby Words

alto flute
altogether
altoist
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Altogether.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altogether. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

altogether

adverb
al·​to·​geth·​er
ˌȯl-tə-ˈget͟h-ər
1
: wholly, completely
an altogether different problem
2
: with everything taken into account : in all
spent $25 altogether
3
: on the whole
altogether their efforts succeeded
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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