What does entire mean?
Entire is an adjective describing something that is whole and complete, with no part missing, omitted, or divided. It typically appears before a noun — the entire city, the entire book, the entire staff — where it emphasizes totality more strongly than its near-synonym 'whole'. A reader who finishes an entire novel has read all of it; an entire afternoon has been spent in full. The word carries a slightly formal or emphatic tone in everyday speech, making it useful for underscoring scale, duration, or completeness. Derived from the Latin integer, meaning untouched or intact, it shares ancestry with words like integrity and integrate, which also convey wholeness. Entire functions almost exclusively attributively in modern English, and its adverbial form entirely and noun form entirety extend the same core idea of completeness into other grammatical roles.
adjectiveWhole or complete, with nothing left out or missing; often used to emphasize the totality of something.
- Whole or complete; not divided or lacking any part.
"The entire family gathered for the holiday dinner."
"She spent the entire afternoon reading by the window."
"The storm knocked out power across the entire region."
Entire comes from the Latin 'integer', the same root that gives us the mathematical term for whole numbers — so every time you say 'the entire cake', you're calling it an integer.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of entire
Entire derives from the Old French entier, meaning whole or intact, which itself comes from the Latin integer, meaning untouched or undivided. English adopted the word in the Middle Ages, and it has retained its core sense of completeness ever since. Cognates sharing the same Latin root include integrity, integer, and integral.
Related word forms
How entire is actually used
Common in both formal and informal registers. Often used for emphasis before a noun ('the entire day') rather than as a predicate adjective. In British English, 'whole' is frequently preferred in casual speech where American English might use 'entire'.
Easily confused with entire
'Entire' is an adjective meaning whole or complete, while 'entirety' is a noun referring to the state of being entire (e.g., 'in its entirety').