Phrase guide

on the whole

prep_phrase · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

For the most part; apart from some insignificant details.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • The language was wrong for the period, but, on the whole, I enjoyed the film.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

with everything considered (and neglecting details)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • altogether, I'm sorry it happened
  • all in all, it's not so bad

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: all in all, altogether, tout ensemble

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 總的來說 /总的来说 (zǒngdeláishuō) — for the most part
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大體上 /大体上 (dàtǐshang) — for the most part
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大體而言 /大体而言 (dàtǐ éryán) — for the most part
  • Chinese Mandarin: 全盤看來 /全盘看来 (quánpán kànlái) — for the most part
  • Chinese Mandarin: 一般 (yībān) — for the most part
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大致上 (dàzhìshang) — for the most part
  • Danish: i det store og hele — for the most part
  • Danish: stort set — for the most part
  • Dutch: in het algemeen — for the most part
  • Dutch: grotendeels — for the most part
  • Finnish: kokonaisuutena — for the most part
  • French: dans l'ensemble — for the most part
  • German: im Großen und Ganzen — for the most part
  • Hungarian: nagyrészt — for the most part
  • Hungarian: egészében — for the most part
  • Hungarian: összességében — for the most part
  • Italian: nel complesso — for the most part
  • Italian: nell'insieme — for the most part
  • Japanese: 概して (gaishite) — for the most part
  • Korean: 대체로 (daechero) — for the most part
  • Persian: به طور کلی (be tor-e kolli) — for the most part
  • Polish: ogólnie rzecz biorąc — for the most part
  • Polish: generalnie — for the most part
  • Russian: в це́лом (v célom) — for the most part
  • Scottish Gaelic: san fharsaingeachd — for the most part
  • Spanish: en general — for the most part
  • Spanish: en su conjunto — for the most part
  • Swedish: på det hela taget — for the most part
  • Swedish: på det stora hela — for the most part
  • Telugu: మొత్తమ్మీద (mottammīda) — for the most part
  • Ukrainian: в ціло́му (v cilómu) — for the most part