wholesale

/ˌhoʊlˈseɪl/

/ˈhʌʊlseɪl/

Other forms: wholesaling; wholesales; wholesaled

Use the adjective wholesale to describe something that's done on a big, broad scale, like wholesale changes made by a new government that affect an entire country.

It's pretty common to see the phrase "wholesale destruction," especially when historians are talking about the overwhelming effects of war or ecological disasters. When wholesale is a verb, it has a very different meaning — to sell things in bulk, usually to someone who is going to sell it again at a higher retail price. The earliest meaning of the word was "in large quantities," combining whole and sale into the phrase "by whole sale."

Definitions of wholesale

1. noun

   the selling of goods to merchants; usually in large quantities for resale to consumers
   antonyms:

   retail

   the selling of goods to consumers; usually in small quantities and not for resale

   type of:

   marketing, merchandising, selling

   the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money
2. adjective

   ignoring distinctions
   “wholesale destruction”

   synonyms: sweeping

   indiscriminate

   not marked by fine distinctions
3. verb

   sell in large quantities
   antonyms:

   retail

   sell on the retail market

   retail

   be sold at the retail level

   type of:

   sell

   exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent
4. adverb

   at a wholesale price
   “I can sell it to you wholesale”

   antonyms:

   retail

   at a retail price
5. adverb

   on a large scale without careful discrimination
   “I buy food wholesale”

   synonyms: in large quantities