The Adverb of Whole: Wholly
The adverb of whole is wholly.
How wholly is formed
Drop the silent -e, then add -ly: whole → whol + ly = wholly. The double l is not an extra letter. One belongs to whol- and one to -ly.
Most adjectives ending in -e keep it (pure → purely, sincere → sincerely), which is exactly why this one catches people out. Whole, true and due are the exceptions: wholly, truly, duly.
Wholly in a sentence
| I wholly agree with her assessment. | Completely, without reservation. |
| The account is not wholly accurate. | Softens a criticism: partly true, not entirely. |
| The delay was wholly avoidable. | Emphasises that nothing excused it. |
The mistake to watch for
| Incorrect | Correct |
| wholely | wholly |
The silent e is dropped. Wholely is one of the most frequently misspelled adverbs in English, precisely because it breaks the rule that most -e adjectives obey.
Related forms
Pronunciation: HOH-lee, two syllables. Some speakers say HOHL-lee; both are standard.
| Adjective | whole |
| Adverb | wholly |
| Noun | whole / wholeness |
| Near-synonyms | entirely, completely, fully |
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 wholly appears in most often.
| wholly agree / disagree | Very common, and slightly more formal than completely agree. |
| wholly unnecessary / inadequate / different | Before a negative or contrastive adjective. This is where the word does most of its work. |
| wholly owned subsidiary | A fixed business and legal term. Do not substitute another adverb here. |
Wholly or something else?
Several adverbs sit close to wholly, and the difference between them is usually meaning rather than formality.
| entirely | The closest match, and interchangeable in almost every sentence. Slightly more neutral. |
| completely | The most common in speech. Wholly in conversation can sound stiff. |
| fully | Implies reaching a maximum rather than covering the whole. Fully recovered, not wholly recovered. |
Practice
Fill the gap, then check yourself.
- The delay was ___ avoidable.
- She has ___ recovered from the illness.
- It is a ___ owned subsidiary of the group.
Answers: 1. wholly 2. fully 3. wholly (fixed term)
Frequently asked
Is wholly the same word as holy?
No. They are unrelated and pronounced differently. Holy means sacred.
When should I use entirely instead?
They overlap almost completely. Wholly sounds slightly more formal and appears more often in writing than in speech.
