Phrase guide

root and branch

adj · adv · 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

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Total, thorough, sweeping, complete, radical, drastic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abject, frightful, absolute, arrant, categoric, categorical, complete, consummate, decided, downright, full, full-blown, full-bore, full-on, mere, outright, out-and-out, perfect, precious, proper, pure, stark, rank, regular, right, root and branch, sheer, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unattenuated, uncompromising, unconditional, unfettered, unmitigated, unqualified, unreserved, unrestricted, utter, wholesale

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Totally, completely.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: absolutely, all-out, tout à fait, all the way, blind, altogether, at large, at length, cap-a-pie, categorically, completely, detailly, downright, entirely, exhaustively, finally, first and last, flat-out, flat out, from aardvark to zymurgy, from A to Z, from head to toe, from soup to nuts, from stem to stern, from the rooter to the tooter, from top to bottom, from top to toe, fully, handsomely, heartily, head to foot, head to tail, head to toe, hook, line, and sinker, in detail, in full, lock, stock, and barrel, one hundred percent, out-and-out, out and out, outright, particularly, perfectly, plumb, properly, purely, quite, right, root and branch, soundly, soup-to-nuts, straight up, through and through, top to tail, top to toe, totally, totes, to the bone, to the core, to the full, utterly, well and truly, whole, whole cloth, wholly

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From the Bible. Used as a title for the Root and Branch petition presented to the Long Parliament on December 11, 1640.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Ancient Greek: πρόρριζος (prórrhizos) — complete, total — see also complete
  • Norwegian Bokmål: gjennomgripende — complete, total — see also complete
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tvers igjennom — complete, total — see also complete
  • Russian: радика́льный (radikálʹnyj) — complete, total — see also complete
  • Russian: коренно́й (korennój) — complete, total — see also complete
  • Swedish: genomgripande — complete, total — see also complete
  • Swedish: radikal — complete, total — see also complete
  • Swedish: grundlig — complete, total — see also complete
  • Scottish Gaelic: bun is bàrr — totally — see also totally
  • Scottish Gaelic: eadar cheann is chasan — totally — see also totally