I. ˈtōd. ə l, ˈtōt ə l adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin totalis, from Latin totus whole, entire + -alis -al
1. : of or relating to something in its entirety
the total effect of a room
the writing is … unified by a simple total vision of the writer — William Barrett
2.
a. : viewed as an entity : complete in all details : overall , whole
culture … is the total spiritual product of any given time and place — Modern Music
the total university, with its galaxy of graduate and professional schools — N.M.Pusey
after the introduction of gunpowder … total armor had gradually fallen into disuse — New Yorker
b. : constituting an entire number or amount : aggregate
total cost
total value
total extant manuscripts … are of considerable number — I.M.Price
total spending should be large enough to employ everyone who wants to work — George Soule
3.
a. : unqualified in extent or degree : absolute , utter
total darkness
a total stranger
the total abolition of poverty … is at the present moment technically possible — Bertrand Russell
lines, characterized by total simplicity, are by far the hardest to put into another language — Wallace Fowlie
b. : having dictatorial powers : omnipotent , totalitarian
the liberal state acknowledged many limitations in its demands upon men; the total state acknowledges none — A.M.Schlesinger b. 1917
c. : unlimited in character : concentrating all available personnel and resources on a single objective : all-out , thoroughgoing
the nature of total war has erased the distinction between combatants and civilians — J.N.Moody
urges a bold effort at making a total peace — Atlantic
Synonyms: see whole
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : a result of addition : aggregate , sum
column total
cumulative total
a total of 319 students registered for summer school
when the final totals were compiled they would show dollar volume close to … the all-time high — S.C.Pace
b. : a summation of factors : final result
deviations from a total of zero cause the crane carriage to move forward or backward — T.W.Rodes
2. : an entire quantity or configuration : amount , whole
a staggering total of devastation and destruction — T.F.Mueller
word-complexes that cannot be reconstructed unit by unit, but only as totals — John Ciardi
Synonyms: see sum
•
- in total
III. adverb
: totally
now is he total gules, horridly tricked with blood — Shakespeare
IV. verb
( totaled or totalled ; totaled or totalled ; totaling or totalling ; totals )
transitive verb
1. : to add up : compute
these figures were arrived at by totaling all entries — H.J.Hanham
total the sensuous possibilities latent in silk, linen, wool, leather, and furs — Hunter Mead
2. : to come to a total of : amount to : number
in July of this year consumer credit totaled roughly $27 billion — World
jute mills … total about a hundred — Walter Bally
professing Christians totaled less than one percent of the population — K.S.Latourette
intransitive verb
: to compute a total : add
this adding machine totals to 999,999.99
V. transitive verb
: to make a total wreck of (as a vehicle) : damage so badly that the cost of repairs exceeds the market value of the vehicle : demolish