totally
advUK /ˈtəʊ.tə.li/ · CA, US /ˈtoʊ.tə.li/
Etymology From total + -ly.
1
To the fullest extent or degree.
- They've totally demolished the bank on Main Street.
- Antonio. He misses not much. Sebastian. No; he doth but mistake the truth totally.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]:
4 more examples
- The languages of different nations did not totally differ […] They were therefore easily learned;1789, Olaudah Equiano, chapter 2, in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, volume 1, London: for the author, page 59:
- Your conjecture is totally wrong, I assure you.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:
- I trust him totally and without reservation.1969, Chaim Potok, chapter 12, in The Promise, New York: Knopf, page 226:
- 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.2019 September 26, Gianluca Mezzofiore, “Wanted: A design team for a building project at Earth’s most remote location – Antarctica”, in CNN:
2
Colloquial Very; extremely.
- That was totally wicked!
3
Colloquial, Modal Definitely; for sure.
- That was totally not what happened.
- 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.2017, Adam Kay, This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor: