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Whole vs Entire vs Total vs All vs Gross

Wholeentiretotalallgross are comparable when they mean including each and every part, particle, individual, or instance of without exception.

Whole implies that nothing has been omitted, ignored, abated, or removed.

Entire may be used in place of whole in any of these illustrations; it also can, as whole cannot, imply actual completeness or perfection from which not only nothing has been taken but to which nothing can be added.

Total implies that everything without exception has been counted, measured, weighed, or somehow included. Sometimes especially when applied to something that is often incomplete, total is used as an indication that no reservation is made.

All sometimes equals whole , sometimes it comes closer to entire , and sometimes it equals total .

Gross is used especially in financial statements in place of total to indicate that deductions (as for costs or expenses) have not yet been made.