entirely

The word "entirely" describes something in a complete way, with nothing left out. It can show that something is true to the fullest degree, that an action covers the whole of something, or that there are no exceptions. It is close in meaning to "completely" and "totally," but it often sounds a little more careful or formal.

You often hear it when someone wants to add strong emphasis: "I am entirely certain that I locked the door." Here, the speaker means there is no doubt at all. In a sentence like "The project was entirely his idea," it means the idea belonged to him alone, not partly to someone else.

"Entirely" can also show full agreement or full acceptance. If you say, "I entirely agree," you mean you agree without any doubt or disagreement. You may also see it in phrases like "not entirely," which softens a statement: "I am not entirely sure" means "I am not completely sure."

The word works in both positive and negative situations. You can say, "The plan was entirely successful," or "The town was entirely destroyed by the hurricane." In both cases, it strengthens the statement by showing that the result is complete. So when something is described as entirely one way or another, the idea is that it is true fully, not partly.