holistic
adj.adj. dealing with something as a whole rather than just looking at its small parts. For example, a holistic doctor looks at your mind, diet, and lifestyle, not just your physical symptoms.
adj. characterised by the belief that the parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole. Often describes approaches in medicine, education, or business that consider the entire system rather than isolated components.
The school takes a holistic approach to student well-being.
A holistic review of the company's performance considers employee satisfaction and environmental impact alongside quarterly profits.
The therapist advocated for a holistic treatment plan that integrated nutritional counseling and mindfulness practices with traditional pharmacological interventions to address the patient's chronic anxiety.
From hol- + -istic. See holism.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly modifies nouns like 'approach', 'view', 'perspective', or 'medicine'.
Last updated May 6, 2026