"on the whole" meaning in English

See on the whole in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Prepositional phrase

Audio: En-au-on the whole.ogg [Australia]
Head templates: {{head|en|prepositional phrase|head=}} on the whole, {{en-PP}} on the whole
  1. (idiomatic) For the most part; apart from some insignificant details. Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: all things considered, by and large, mostly, upon the whole, upon the matter, upon the whole matter [archaic] Translations (for the most part): 總的來說 (Chinese Mandarin), 总的来说 (zǒngdeláishuō) (Chinese Mandarin), 大體上 (Chinese Mandarin), 大体上 (dàtǐshang) (Chinese Mandarin), 大體而言 (Chinese Mandarin), 大体而言 (dàtǐ éryán) (Chinese Mandarin), 全盤看來 (Chinese Mandarin), 全盘看来 (quánpán kànlái) (Chinese Mandarin), 一般 (yībān) (Chinese Mandarin), 大致上 (dàzhìshang) (Chinese Mandarin), i det store og hele (Danish), stort set (Danish), in het algemeen (Dutch), grotendeels (Dutch), kokonaisuutena (Finnish), dans l’ensemble (French), nagyrészt (Hungarian), egészében (Hungarian), összességében (Hungarian), nel complesso (Italian), nell'insieme (Italian), 概して (gaishite) (alt: がいして) (Japanese), 대체로 (daechero) (Korean), به طور کلی (be tor-e kolli) (Persian), ogólnie rzecz biorąc (Polish), generalnie (Polish), в це́лом (v célom) (Russian), san fharsaingeachd (Scottish Gaelic), en general (Spanish), på det hela taget (Swedish), på det stora hela (Swedish), మొత్తమ్మీద (mottammīda) (Telugu)

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for on the whole meaning in English (6.2kB)

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        "2": "prepositional phrase",
        "head": ""
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      "expansion": "on the whole",
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      "args": {},
      "expansion": "on the whole",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
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  "senses": [
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      "categories": [
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
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      ],
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        {
          "text": "The language was wrong for the period, but, on the whole, I enjoyed the film."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1849, Henry David Thoreau, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, Monday",
          "text": "Davis had a ball lodged in his body, and his right hand shot off; but on the whole, he seems to have been less damaged than his companion.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1910, E. M. Forster, chapter 5, in Howards End",
          "text": "[H]is class was near enough her own for its manners to vex her. But she found him interesting on the whole.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 January 18, Simon Shuster, “The Anti-Putin Movement: An Interview with the Blogger in Chief”, in Time, retrieved 2013-08-18",
          "text": "Both Maidan and Tahrir were peaceful. Maidan was absolutely peaceful, Tahrir saw some unrest but was still peaceful on the whole.",
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        "For the most part; apart from some insignificant details."
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      "id": "en-on_the_whole-en-prep_phrase-pkcGsp9j",
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          "For the most part",
          "for the most part"
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          "apart",
          "apart"
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          "insignificant",
          "insignificant"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) For the most part; apart from some insignificant details."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "all things considered"
        },
        {
          "word": "by and large"
        },
        {
          "word": "mostly"
        },
        {
          "word": "upon the whole"
        },
        {
          "word": "upon the matter"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "archaic"
          ],
          "word": "upon the whole matter"
        }
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "總的來說"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "zǒngdeláishuō",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "总的来说"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "大體上"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "dàtǐshang",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "大体上"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "大體而言"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "dàtǐ éryán",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "大体而言"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "全盤看來"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "quánpán kànlái",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "全盘看来"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "yībān",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "一般"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "dàzhìshang",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "大致上"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "i det store og hele"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "stort set"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "in het algemeen"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "grotendeels"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "kokonaisuutena"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "dans l’ensemble"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "nagyrészt"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "egészében"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "összességében"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "nel complesso"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "nell'insieme"
        },
        {
          "alt": "がいして",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "gaishite",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "概して"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "daechero",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "대체로"
        },
        {
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "roman": "be tor-e kolli",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "به طور کلی"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "ogólnie rzecz biorąc"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "generalnie"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "v célom",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "в це́лом"
        },
        {
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "san fharsaingeachd"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "en general"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "på det hela taget"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "på det stora hela"
        },
        {
          "code": "te",
          "lang": "Telugu",
          "roman": "mottammīda",
          "sense": "for the most part",
          "word": "మొత్తమ్మీద"
        }
      ]
    }
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      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/00/En-au-on_the_whole.ogg/En-au-on_the_whole.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/En-au-on_the_whole.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
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  "word": "on the whole"
}
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
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        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
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        "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
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          "text": "The language was wrong for the period, but, on the whole, I enjoyed the film."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1849, Henry David Thoreau, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, Monday",
          "text": "Davis had a ball lodged in his body, and his right hand shot off; but on the whole, he seems to have been less damaged than his companion.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1910, E. M. Forster, chapter 5, in Howards End",
          "text": "[H]is class was near enough her own for its manners to vex her. But she found him interesting on the whole.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 January 18, Simon Shuster, “The Anti-Putin Movement: An Interview with the Blogger in Chief”, in Time, retrieved 2013-08-18",
          "text": "Both Maidan and Tahrir were peaceful. Maidan was absolutely peaceful, Tahrir saw some unrest but was still peaceful on the whole.",
          "type": "quotation"
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "For the most part; apart from some insignificant details."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "For the most part",
          "for the most part"
        ],
        [
          "apart",
          "apart"
        ],
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          "insignificant",
          "insignificant"
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        "(idiomatic) For the most part; apart from some insignificant details."
      ],
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        "idiomatic"
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      "tags": [
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "all things considered"
    },
    {
      "word": "by and large"
    },
    {
      "word": "mostly"
    },
    {
      "word": "upon the whole"
    },
    {
      "word": "upon the matter"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "word": "upon the whole matter"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "總的來說"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "zǒngdeláishuō",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "总的来说"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "大體上"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "dàtǐshang",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "大体上"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "大體而言"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "dàtǐ éryán",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "大体而言"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "全盤看來"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "quánpán kànlái",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "全盘看来"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "yībān",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "一般"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "dàzhìshang",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "大致上"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "i det store og hele"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "stort set"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "in het algemeen"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "grotendeels"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "kokonaisuutena"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "dans l’ensemble"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "nagyrészt"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "egészében"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "összességében"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "nel complesso"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "nell'insieme"
    },
    {
      "alt": "がいして",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "gaishite",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "概して"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "daechero",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "대체로"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "roman": "be tor-e kolli",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "به طور کلی"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "ogólnie rzecz biorąc"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "generalnie"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "v célom",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "в це́лом"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "san fharsaingeachd"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "en general"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "på det hela taget"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "på det stora hela"
    },
    {
      "code": "te",
      "lang": "Telugu",
      "roman": "mottammīda",
      "sense": "for the most part",
      "word": "మొత్తమ్మీద"
    }
  ],
  "word": "on the whole"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (4d5d0bb and edd475d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.