including every part or detail; complete in all ways
There was total silence when the teacher entered the room.
The blackout plunged the city into total darkness.
✦ From Latin ‘totalis’ meaning ‘entire’ or ‘whole’.
the whole number or amount you get after everything is added together
Please write the total at the bottom of the bill.
The fundraising event raised a total of $10,000.
✦ From the same root as the adjective, later used in bookkeeping to mean the final sum.
to add numbers or amounts together or to reach a particular amount
When you total the expenses, they come to less than $50.
The donations total more than we expected.
✦ Verb use comes from the noun, meaning ‘to find the total’.
informal: to damage a vehicle so badly that it cannot be repaired
He totaled his car when he hit the tree.
The sports car was totaled in the high-speed crash.
✦ Extended from the idea of something being a ‘total loss’.
in a complete or absolute way; entirely
After weeks of cleaning, the house was totally spotless.
The new phone is totally different from the old model.
✦ Formed from the adjective “total” + the adverbial suffix “-ly,” first recorded in Middle English.
used to show strong agreement, enthusiasm, or affirmation
“Do you want to go surfing this weekend?” “Totally!”
“That concert was amazing.” “Totally—best night ever!”
✦ Extension of the adverb sense to an affirmative interjection, popularized in American English from the 1980s.
