altogether
altogether
al·to·geth·er
I
/ˌɑːltəˈgɛðɚ/ adv
1 : completely and fully : totally, entirely
They had an altogether new idea.
It stopped raining altogether.
If we don't do something now, the forests may disappear altogether.
It's best to avoid the situation altogether.
That's an altogether different question. = That's a different question altogether.
— often used with not
It is not altogether clear why she left.
He didn't altogether believe her story.
— often used for emphasis before another adverb
This is an altogether more sensible solution.
I've said altogether [=entirely] too much on the subject already.
2 : with everything added together : when everything is added up
They spent a thousand dollars altogether. [=in all]
Altogether [=all told], we sold nearly 500 candy bars.
3 : in a general way : when everything is considered
Altogether [=generally, on the whole, all in all] I'd say this was our best vacation ever.
Altogether, their efforts were successful.
usage
Do not confuse the single word altogether with the two-word phrase all together.
We were all together [=all in a group, all with each other] for the whole day.
I tried to hold it all together with glue, but the pieces fell apart.
The detective put it all together [=figured out how the pieces of information related to each other] and solved the crime.
All together [=all at the same time] now, everybody, let's sing!
————————
II
noun
in the altogether
informal + old-fashioned : not wearing any clothes
posing in the altogether [=nude, in the nude]
