altogether

altogether — adverb

IPA/ˌɔːltəˈɡeðə(r)/
KK[ˌɔltəɡˈɛðɚ]IPA/ˌɔːltəˈɡeðər/

1. when added up, giving the full count or sum of a group of separate amounts.

1.adverbB1
Definition

when added up, giving the full count or sum of a group of separate amounts.

Example

Theo saved 80 dollars in May and 45 in June, so altogether she has 125.

altogether sums multiple amounts

There were twelve guests altogether at Jin's birthday dinner on Saturday.

altogether following a count noun

Common collocations
  • five/ten/many altogether
  • altogether there were
  • cost altogether
  • spend altogether
Synonyms
  • in total

    more neutral; works in any register

  • in all

    common in formal counts and reports

  • all told

    slightly informal; often after the figure

Grammar Patterns

altogether + number/amount

Usage Note

Often comes at the end of a clause or right after the number/amount it sums. Distinguish from sense 2: here, altogether replaces 'in total', while sense 2 replaces 'completely'.

Common Mistakes

I have altogether five books.
I have five books altogether.
when summing amounts, altogether usually follows the number, not precedes it.
The bill was altogether wrong by 200 yen.
The bill was wrong by 200 yen altogether.
for a total amount, place altogether at the end.

2. to the fullest possible degree; with nothing left out, used to make a strong sta

2.adverbB2
Definition

to the fullest possible degree; with nothing left out, used to make a strong statement stronger.

Example

After the storm, the small wooden bridge had vanished altogether from the riverbank.

altogether emphasizes a complete change

Kalani stopped eating sugar altogether after his doctor warned him about diabetes.

stop/give up + altogether

Common collocations
  • not altogether sure
  • altogether different
  • altogether gone
  • stop altogether
  • altogether unlike
Synonyms
  • completely

    most natural everyday choice

  • entirely

    slightly more formal; same scope

  • wholly

    formal; common in writing

  • totally

    informal in speech, especially with adjectives

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

altogether + adjective

altogether + verb phrase

Usage Note

Frequently appears with 'not' to soften a denial ('not altogether sure' = mostly unsure but not 100%). Common after verbs of stopping, removing, or disappearing.

Common Mistakes

She is altogether of a teacher.
She is altogether unlike a teacher.
altogether modifies adjectives or verbs, not noun phrases on their own.
I altogether agree.
I altogether disagree.' or ✅ 'I completely agree.
use altogether before strong/extreme words; for plain 'agree', prefer 'completely'.

3. said before giving a final overall judgement once all the good and bad points ha

3.adverbB2
Definition

said before giving a final overall judgement once all the good and bad points have been weighed.

Example

The hotel was small and the food was simple, but altogether we enjoyed our weekend in Hualien.

altogether opens a summing-up clause

Altogether, the new bus route saves Tariq about thirty minutes a day.

altogether at the start of a summary sentence

Common collocations
  • altogether, it was
  • altogether, we
  • but altogether
  • so altogether
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

altogether, + summary clause

Usage Note

Functions as a sentence adverb, usually set off by a comma, and signals that the speaker is summing up. Distinguish from sense 2: replace with 'on the whole' here, with 'completely' for sense 2.

Common Mistakes

Altogether the soup is hot.
Altogether, the meal was satisfying.
use this sense to sum up several points, not for one simple fact.
I altogether think the trip was good.
Altogether, I think the trip was good.
place altogether at the start of the clause when giving an overall verdict.
Idioms

in the altogether

idiom

with no clothes on; naked, used as a humorous or polite way to avoid the word 'naked'.

The artist asked Tariq to pose in the altogether for a life-drawing class.

Kalani walked into the kitchen in the altogether and got the shock of his life when his mother-in-law was there.

altogether — noun

IPA/ˌɔːl.təˈɡeð.ər/
KK[ˌɔltəɡˈɛðɚ]IPA/ˌɑːl.təˈɡeð.ɚ/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/2

All five adverbs push a statement to the maximum, but they differ in tone and where they fit. 'Completely' is the everyday neutral choice and works in any register: 'I completely agree.' 'Entirely' feels a touch more formal and is common in writing about reasons or causes: 'It was entirely my fault.' 'Wholly' is the most formal and slightly bookish — natural in legal or academic prose. 'Totally' leans informal and is favoured in speech, often with adjectives expressing strong feeling: 'That movie was totally amazing.' 'Altogether' carries a summing-up flavour: it suggests every part of something has been added up to reach a full effect, which is why it pairs well with verbs of stopping, removing, or disappearing ('stop altogether', 'vanish altogether') and with the negative 'not altogether sure' to mean 'mostly but not 100%'. Compare: 'I'm not completely sure' (a flat denial) versus 'I'm not altogether sure' (gentler, more hedged).

altogether ↗completely ↗entirely ↗wholly ↗totally ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Built in early Middle English from the prefix 'al-' (meaning 'all, completely') joined with 'together'. From its first uses around the 1200s, it carried the idea of 'every part taken as one'. The two main modern adverb meanings — 'in total' and 'completely' — both grow naturally out of this 'all-as-one' core, while the 'on the whole' use developed later as speakers used it to wrap up a list of points. The cheeky noun phrase 'in the altogether' for 'naked' appears in the late 1800s, picturing the body 'all together' with no clothing breaking it up.