- with everything included: altogether he owed me sixty pounds
- completely; utterly; totally: she was altogether relieved
- on the whole: altogether it was a very good party
- in the altogether ⇒ informal naked
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
al•to•geth•er /ˌɔltəˈgɛðɚ,ˈ ɔltəˌgɛðɚ/USA pronunciation
adv.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- wholly;
entirely;
completely:an altogether fitting memorial. - with all or everything included:The debt amounted altogether to twenty dollars.
- with everything considered:Altogether, it was worth the expense.
- Idioms, Informal Termsin the altogether, Informal. nude;
naked.
al•to•geth•er
(ôl′tə geᵺ′ər, ôl′tə geᵺ′ər),USA pronunciation adv.
n.
- wholly;
entirely;
completely;
quite:altogether fitting. - with all or everything included:The debt amounted altogether to twenty dollars.
- with everything considered;
on the whole:Altogether, I'm glad it's over.
n.
- in the altogether, [Informal.]nude:When the phone rang she had just stepped out of the bathtub and was in the altogether.
- variant of Middle English altogeder. See all, together 1125–75
- 1. utterly, totally, absolutely.
- The forms altogether and all together, though often indistinguishable in speech, are distinct in meaning. The adverb altogether means "wholly, entirely, completely'':an altogether confused scene.The phrase all together means "in a group'':The children were all together in the kitchen.This all can be omitted without seriously affecting the meaning:The children were together in the kitchen.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
altogether /ˌɔːltəˈɡɛðə; ˈɔːltəˌɡɛðə/ adv
'altogether' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):