completely

From complete +‎ -ly.

• IPA^(key): /kəmˈpliːtli/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: com‧plete‧ly

completely (comparative more completely, superlative most completely)

1. (manner) In a complete manner.

   Please completely fill in the box for your answer, using a number 2 pencil.

   I will have completely finished my degree by next July, when my thesis has been properly edited.

   • 1851, Herman Melville, chapter 70, in Moby-Dick:

     It should not have been omitted that previous to completely stripping the body of the leviathan, he was beheaded.

   • 1899, Kate Chopin, chapter XIX, in The Awakening:

     She completely abandoned her Tuesdays at home, and did not return the visits of those who had called upon her.

   • 1969, E.R. Zumwalt, Jr., Silver Star Citation - John Kerry:

     Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY immediately maneuvered his craft through several strafing runs which completely silenced the enemy.

   • 2025 May 2, Elisabeth Buchwald and Ramishah Maruf, “A massive tariff on millions of Americans’ purchases just went into effect — cue the chaos”, in CNN‎:

     “Temu is gone! What I saw today completely convinced me!” the user wrote. “Local sellers, despite obviously buying some items in advance in a bulk, don’t have all these items I was interested in.”

2. (degree) To the fullest extent or degree; totally.

   He is completely mad.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     I had occasion to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, , and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town. I was completely mystified at such an unusual proceeding.

   • 1968 June 8, Edward M. Kennedy, Tribute to Senator Robert F. Kennedy:

     Our future may lie beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control.

   • 1975, Helen Schucman, A Course in Miracles/Workbook for Students, Lesson 75: The light has come,

     Keep a completely open mind, washed of all past ideas and clean of every concept you have made.

• (in a complete manner): fully, totally, utterly
• (to the fullest degree): fully, totally, utterly
• See also Thesaurus:completely

• completely metrizable