Synonyms of on the whole

on the whole

phrase

1

as in primarily

for the most part

On the whole I like seafood, but I won't eat oysters.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• primarily
• mainly
• mostly
• chiefly
• largely
• predominantly
• principally
• basically
• generally
• by and large
• overall
• normally
• substantially
• usually
• altogether
• more or less
• next to
• most
• partly
• typically
• in general
• commonly
• about
• much
• nearly
• generally
• partially
• practically
• virtually
• approximately
• frequently
• broadly
• rather
• roughly
• plus or minus
• somewhat
• some
• ordinarily
• well-nigh
• near
• incompletely
• nigh

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• perfectly
• completely
• entirely
• wholly
• fully
• totally
• just
• thoroughly
• hardly
• scarcely
• barely
• absolutely
• marginally
• minimally
• unqualifiedly
• categorically

2

as in usually

according to the usual course of things

On the whole it begins getting dark earlier as winter approaches.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• usually
• normally
• typically
• naturally
• generally
• commonly
• ordinarily
• of course
• as a rule
• regularly
• needless to say
• routinely
• habitually
• natch
• customarily
• traditionally
• familiarly
• conventionally

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unusually
• abnormally
• uncommonly
• extraordinarily
• peculiarly
• strangely
• oddly
• anomalously
• irregularly
• atypically
• weirdly
• untypically
• radically
• funnily
• queerly

with everyone or everything taken into account at the same time

On the whole, it was a great trip.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of on the whole

With Darnold sidelined, odds are Seattle’s offense will be a bit more vanilla on the whole. — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

And a nationwide backlash against AI’s data centers suggests the public felt what was going on the whole time, not to mention their surging electricity bills. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

At home, the economy may have been shaken by the dot-com bust, but on the whole Americans were living well. — Michael E. Neagle, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2026

While the Bruins had a field day churning out 277 yards on 32 carries, Chesney wants to see a consistent rotation of guards and tackles rather than having just two at each position to rely on the whole game. — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026