The Adverb of Entire: Entirely
The adverb of entire is entirely.
How entirely is formed
The adjective ends in -e, and it stays: entire + ly = entirely.
This is the normal treatment, shared with sincere → sincerely and obscure → obscurely. It is worth setting beside whole → wholly, which means much the same thing but drops its e. Two near-synonyms, two opposite spellings.
Entirely in a sentence
| That is entirely up to you. | A very common fixed phrase. |
| The two accounts are entirely different. | Before a contrastive adjective. |
| I am not entirely convinced. | Hedging – the negative softens rather than denies. |
Where it is actually used
Knowing the form is one thing; knowing the company a word keeps is what makes it sound natural. These are the patterns entirely appears in most often.
| entirely different / separate / unrelated | Marking a sharp contrast. |
| not entirely sure / convinced / true | One of the most useful hedges in English. |
| entirely up to / dependent on | Fixed phrases. |
Entirely or something else?
Several adverbs sit close to entirely, and the difference is usually meaning rather than formality.
| completely | The everyday choice. In speech it is far more common than entirely. |
| wholly | Slightly more formal, and more at home in writing. |
| utterly | Much stronger, and almost always attached to something negative: utterly useless. |
The mistake to watch for
| Incorrect | Correct |
| entirly | entirely |
The e is kept. It disappears in speech, which is why it so often disappears in writing too.
The value of not entirely. English rarely contradicts head-on, and not entirely is one of its main tools for disagreeing politely. The report is not entirely accurate says something is wrong without saying which part, and without calling anyone careless.
Related forms
Pronunciation: en-TIRE-lee, three syllables, stress on the second.
| Adjective | entire |
| Adverb | entirely |
| Noun | entirety |
| Near-synonyms | wholly, completely, totally |
Practice
Fill the gap, then check yourself.
- The decision is ___ yours.
- I am not ___ sure that is correct.
- The design was ___ useless in practice.
Answers: 1. entirely 2. entirely 3. utterly
Frequently asked
Is there any difference between entirely and wholly?
Almost none in meaning. Wholly is a little more formal and appears more in legal and business writing; entirely is the safer default.
