Wholeness is the state of being complete, with all necessary parts present and working together. When something has wholeness, nothing essential is missing or broken. A finished jigsaw puzzle has wholeness because every piece is in place. A healed bone has wholeness because it's complete and strong again.

The word often describes a feeling of being complete as a person. After recovering from a difficult time, like a serious illness or the loss of someone important, a person might gradually feel a sense of wholeness returning as they heal emotionally and start to feel like themselves again. When you finish a challenging project you've worked hard on, you might feel a satisfying sense of wholeness because you carried it through from beginning to end.

Wholeness is different from perfection. A hand-carved wooden bowl might have tool marks and variations, but it still has wholeness because it's complete and functional. Your family might have quirks and occasional disagreements, but it can still have a sense of wholeness when everyone feels connected and valued. The word suggests that all the parts that should be there are present, even if they're not flawless. Wholeness means nothing crucial is missing and nothing fundamental is broken.