totally

From total + -ly.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtəʊ.tə.li/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• (General American, Canada) enPR: tō'tə-lē, IPA^(key): /ˈtoʊ.tə.li/, [ˈtoʊ.ɾə.li]

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

totally (not comparable)

1. To the fullest extent or degree.

   Synonyms: completely, entirely, fully, wholly

   They've totally demolished the bank on Main Street.

   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     Antonio. He misses not much.
     Sebastian. No; he doth but mistake the truth totally.

   • 1789, Olaudah Equiano, chapter 2, in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano‎^[1], volume 1, London: for the author, page 59:

     The languages of different nations did not totally differ […] They were therefore easily learned;

   • 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 57:

     Your conjecture is totally wrong, I assure you.

   • 1969, Chaim Potok, chapter 12, in The Promise‎^[2], New York: Knopf, page 226:

     I trust him totally and without reservation.

   • 2019 September 26, Gianluca Mezzofiore, “Wanted: A design team for a building project at Earth’s most remote location – Antarctica”, in CNN‎^[3]:

     The project poses exceptional challenges, given that Antarctica is the coldest, windiest and driest continent on Earth, as well as the most remote and inaccessible, being almost totally covered by a vast ice sheet.

2. (degree, colloquial) Very; extremely.

   That was totally wicked!

3. (modal, colloquial) Definitely; for sure.

   That was totally not what happened.

   • 2017, Adam Kay, This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor:

     Well, we’ve spoken to a lawyer, and the answer, it turns out, is, ‘Yes. That would totally be assault.’ So we’ll say that I didn’t do it.

• See also Thesaurus:completely