Meaning of Idiom ‘On the Whole’
On the whole means generally, considering everything. 1Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.,2Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
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Examples Of use
“Well, the morning didn’t start well but on the whole, it was a pretty productive day.”
“On the whole, I enjoy my job, but sometimes it can be boring.”
“It was, on the whole, a successful expedition, even though the explorers didn’t find the lost city.”
“How was your vacation?” asked Mirah. “It was good on the whole but I was sick during the last few days of it.”
Origin
Used since the late 1600s. 3Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
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