altogether
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adv.completely or totally.
adv.to a complete or total degree; entirely.
Simple“The train stopped altogether and we had to wait for an hour.”
In context“The project was abandoned altogether after the primary investors withdrew their support during the second quarter.”
PitfallThe two friends were all together in the park. The two friends were altogether happy.Do not confuse 'altogether' (completely) with 'all together' (everyone in one place).
Synonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
adv.including everything or everyone.
adv.with everything included in a final count or sum.
Simple“There were fifteen people at the dinner party altogether.”
In context“Altogether, the renovation cost nearly twice the original estimate, forcing the family to delay their holiday plans.”
Synonymsin totalall told - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adv.used to give a general opinion after thinking about all the details.
adv.taking everything into consideration; on the whole.
Simple“It was a difficult journey, but altogether a great experience.”
In context“Altogether, the performance was a success, despite the technical difficulties that plagued the opening scene.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
n.a way to say someone is not wearing any clothes.
n.a state of nakedness; almost exclusively used in the phrase 'in the altogether'.
Simple“The artist preferred to paint his subjects in the altogether.”
In context“The vintage photograph depicted several swimmers posing in the altogether by a secluded lake in the mountains.”
UsageUsually occurs as the object of the preposition 'in'.
Teacher's tipThis is a humorous or euphemistic way to say 'naked' and is becoming less common in modern speech.
altogether vs all together — Altogether means completely or in total, while all together describes a group acting or gathered in one place.
“At Shambhala, free testing offers peace of mind — but can’t eliminate risk altogether.”
“The Charity Commission must investigate them as well and move quickly to stamp out this behaviour altogether.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.