entire
B2Neutral to formal. Common in written and spoken English, but can sound slightly formal in casual speech where 'whole' or 'all of' might be used.
Definition
Meaning
Used to describe something that is whole, complete, and not divided or broken into parts.
Can also refer to something being in an unaltered, original state, or used for emphasis to mean 'the whole of' something, often implying totality and exclusivity. In archaic/legal contexts, refers to an uncastrated male horse.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often emphasizes unity, intactness, and lack of division. Implies that nothing is missing, omitted, or separated. Can have an emphatic, sometimes absolute, connotation (e.g., 'the entire responsibility').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical. Minor differences in frequency with certain collocations (e.g., 'entirely different' is slightly more common in UK English). The word itself shows no major variation.
Connotations
Identical connotations of completeness and totality in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly higher relative frequency in American English according to some corpora, but the difference is marginal. Both use it commonly.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[det] + entire + nounthe + entire + nounan + entire + nounentire + noun + of + noun phraseVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[not an idiom, but a common phrase] lock, stock, and barrel (synonymous for 'entirely')”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Common in reports: 'The entire project is over budget.' 'We need the entire team's input.'
Academic
Used for emphasis and precision: 'The entire corpus was analysed.' 'This theory applies to the entire species.'
Everyday
Used for emphasis: 'I spent the entire weekend gardening.' 'The entire house shook.'
Technical
Used in computing, engineering, etc.: 'The entire dataset was corrupted.' 'The entire structure must be assessed.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- 'To entire' is not a standard verb form. The adverbial form 'entirely' is used with verbs.
American English
- 'To entire' is not a standard verb form. The adverbial form 'entirely' is used with verbs.
adverb
British English
- The form is 'entirely'. He was entirely responsible. I entirely agree with you.
American English
- The form is 'entirely'. That's an entirely different matter. The project was entirely successful.
adjective
British English
- The entire village voted against the proposal.
- She ate the entire pizza by herself.
- It requires an entire change of mindset.
American English
- The entire state was under a blizzard warning.
- He dedicated his entire career to the company.
- We spent the entire day at the museum.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I read the entire book.
- She ate the entire cake.
- The entire class is here.
- It took us an entire week to finish the work.
- The entire system needs to be updated.
- I don't entirely agree with you.
- The decision affects the entire manufacturing process.
- He bears the entire responsibility for the failure.
- Their approach is entirely different from ours.
- The manuscript survived in its entirety despite the fire.
- The theory posits that the entire universe is connected.
- His argument was based on an entirely false premise.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'ENTIRE' as being 'IN-TIRE' – imagine a tyre that is completely IN one piece, not punctured or worn out – WHOLE and COMPLETE.
Conceptual Metaphor
CONTAINER (The 'entire' thing is a container that is completely full, with nothing left outside). UNITY (Many parts are conceptualised as a single, undivided entity).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'целый' meaning 'large/considerable' (e.g., 'целый час' = 'a whole hour' as a long time). 'Entire' focuses on completeness, not duration/size. Russian 'полный' can mean 'complete' but also 'full'. 'Entire' is not used for containers being full of something.
Common Mistakes
- *The entire of the city was affected. (Correct: The entire city / The whole of the city.)
- Using 'entire' with uncountable nouns where 'whole' is less common (e.g., 'the entire money' sounds odd; 'all the money' is better).
- Overusing 'entire' in informal contexts where 'all' or 'whole' is more natural.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses 'entire' INCORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
They are often interchangeable, but 'whole' can sound more natural with certain countable nouns (e.g., 'the whole time'). 'Entire' is slightly more formal and can carry a stronger emphasis on 'nothing excluded'. 'Whole' can also be a noun ('as a whole'), while 'entire' is almost always an adjective.
No, not directly. 'Entire' modifies singular collective nouns (e.g., 'the entire staff', 'the entire population'). For plurals, you use 'all (of) the' + plural noun (e.g., 'all the students', not 'the entire students').
Yes, in most contexts they are synonyms. 'Entirely' is often used for emphasis with adjectives and past participles (e.g., 'entirely wrong', 'entirely devoted'). 'Completely' can be slightly more common in everyday speech.
Yes, it is grammatically correct and common for emphasis. Example: 'The entire concept was flawed from the beginning.'
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