From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishon the wholeon the wholeIN GENERALused to say that something is generally true On the whole, I thought the film was pretty good. → whole
Examples from the Corpus
on the whole• On the whole, he seems like an intelligent, likable person.• He appeared on the whole to be middle-aged.• But on the whole we had found less pollution than we anticipated.• If this transpires then the emergence of fairness really will have a substantial effect on the whole area of procedural due process.• Nevertheless, on the whole audiences didn't get to notice.• Although the organized activists were not on the whole the very poor, the poorest joined the demonstration.• Nevertheless, he had met no one, could see no one on the whole spread of Foinmen's Plain.• He next appears alone, and yet maintains his infected speech: The vengeance on the whole camp! 