entirety: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal to Neutral
Quick answer
What does “entirety” mean?
The state of being whole, complete, and undivided.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The state of being whole, complete, and undivided.
The whole of something; the full amount, extent, or scope, often considered as a single, unified entity without any parts missing.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or grammatical usage. Slight preference in British English for 'in its entirety' phrasing.
Connotations
Formal in both dialects; American usage may be slightly more common in legal/documentary contexts.
Frequency
Similar frequency in both, though corpus data suggests marginally higher use in British English.
Grammar
How to Use “entirety” in a Sentence
the + entirety + of + NPin + its/their + entiretysee/view/consider + NP + in + its + entiretyVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “entirety” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
"The board must approve the proposal in its entirety."
Academic
"The manuscript was examined in its historical entirety."
Everyday
"We watched the film in its entirety last night."
Technical
"The dataset must be processed in its entirety for accurate results."
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “entirety”
- Using it as an adverb (e.g., 'I agree entirety' instead of 'I entirely agree').
- Misspelling as 'entirity' or 'entiraty'.
- Using it in overly casual contexts where 'whole' or 'all of it' would be more natural.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a C1-level word, common in formal, academic, and professional writing but less frequent in casual speech where 'whole' or 'all of it' is preferred.
'Entirety' is a noun meaning 'the whole thing.' 'Entirely' is an adverb meaning 'completely' or 'wholly.' You consider something in its entirety, but you entirely agree with someone.
Yes, but it remains singular. You refer to 'the entirety of the documents' (all documents as a single collection), not 'the entireties.'
The fixed prepositional phrase 'in its entirety' is by far the most common and natural way to use this word.
The state of being whole, complete, and undivided.
Entirety is usually formal to neutral in register.
Entirety: in British English it is pronounced /ɪnˈtaɪə.rə.ti/, and in American English it is pronounced /ɪnˈtaɪr.ə.t̬i/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “in its entirety”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the word 'ENTIRE' (whole/complete) + the suffix '-TY' (state of being). So, entirety = the state of being entire/whole.
Conceptual Metaphor
A CONTAINER (the entirety holds all the parts); A JOURNEY (viewing something from start to finish in its entirety).
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'entirety' correctly?