totality

/təʊˈtæləti/ (bre, ipa) · [totˈæləti] /təʊˈtæləti/ (ame, ipa) · [totˈæləti] /tō-ˈta-lə-tē How to pronounce totality (audio)/ (ame, mw)

totality — noun

1. every part of something considered together as one complete unit, rather than as

1.名詞B2
釋義

every part of something considered together as one complete unit, rather than as separate pieces or parts.

例句

Okonkwo argued that the report must be viewed in its totality, not judged on one finding.

in its totality — fixed phrase meaning 'as a whole'

The research team examined the totality of the evidence before reaching their conclusion.

the totality of [something] — common noun phrase pattern

同義詞
  • whole

    more common and less formal; 'the whole of something' vs 'the totality of something'

  • entirety

    similar formality; 'in its entirety' is the more common fixed phrase than 'in its totality'

  • sum

    emphasizes adding parts together into a total quantity, often used with numbers

  • aggregate

    more technical; used in formal, academic, or statistical contexts

反義詞
  • part

    a portion or piece of something, rather than the whole

  • fragment

    a small broken piece or part of something that is incomplete

文法句型

the totality of [something]

in its totality

用法筆記

Almost always used with 'of' or in the fixed phrase 'in its totality'. The word is formal and more common in written English than in conversation.

常見錯誤

❌The totality students attended the lecture.
✅All of the students attended the lecture.
💡'totality' is not an adjective meaning 'all'; it is a noun that requires a following 'of' phrase.
❌I ate the totality of the cake.
✅I ate the whole cake.
💡'totality' sounds overly formal and unnatural with concrete everyday objects.

2. the brief period during a solar or lunar eclipse when one celestial body fully c

2.名詞C1
釋義

the brief period during a solar or lunar eclipse when one celestial body fully covers another, so that the light from the covered body is completely blocked.

例句

The astronomy students traveled to Indonesia to observe two minutes of totality.

duration collocation: 'minutes/seconds of totality'

During totality, the sky darkened and bright stars appeared in the middle of the afternoon.

同義詞
  • total eclipse

    the event itself, whereas 'totality' refers specifically to the complete phase within that event

  • full eclipse

    less technical; sometimes used interchangeably but 'total eclipse' is the standard term

反義詞
  • partial eclipse

    the phase before or after totality when the covering is only partial

文法句型

during totality

moment of totality

period of totality

用法筆記

This sense is specific to astronomy. Totality is the middle phase of an eclipse when the covering is complete; it is preceded and followed by partial phases. The duration ranges from a few seconds to about seven minutes.

常見錯誤

❌The moon went into totality.
✅The eclipse reached totality.
💡Totality describes the phase of the eclipse, not the moon's position.
❌I saw totality.
✅I saw the eclipse during totality.
💡Use 'during totality' or 'at the moment of totality' to specify the phase.