ENGLISH
REFERENCE

altogether

n. degree
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˌɔɫtəˈɡɛðɝ// UK //ˌɔːltəɡˈɛðɐ// al·to·geth·er Archaic General-service Informal

n. completely or totally. You use it to say that something is finished or that you are considering everything at once.

n. completely, entirely, or in total. Used to indicate the absolute degree of a state or to summarize a collection of items or factors.


SIMPLE

The two situations are altogether different.

CONTEXTUAL

After three failed attempts to fix the old car, he decided to stop driving it altogether.

COMPLEX

While the individual components of the plan were sound, the project failed because the team lacked an altogether cohesive strategy for implementation.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English altogeder, altogedere, equivalent to al- (“all”) + together. Cognate with Scots awthegither (“altogether”), Middle High German alzegater (“altogether”), Dutch altegaar. Compare also Old English ealġeador, eallġeador (“altogether”), West Frisian allegearre (“altogether”). More at together. The noun sense (nakedness): was popularized in George du Maurier's 1894 novel Trilby.

Usage

Typically placed before an adjective or at the end of a clause to indicate completeness.

Pitfall

They were all together different.They were altogether different.'Altogether' means completely, while 'all together' means everyone or everything in one group.

© 2026 English Reference