completely by themselves

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "completely by themselves" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to emphasize that someone or something is acting independently or without assistance. Example: "The children managed to build the entire fort completely by themselves, showcasing their creativity and teamwork."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

They will not only carry out complicated production steps completely by themselves, but will also perform thinking activities while delivering advisory and other services for knowledge workers and service providers.

European Journal of Futures Research

"The thing for me was realising that so many people have had this happen to them, yet everyone feels completely by themselves".

Vice

But I would go further than Mitra and not simply suggest that the educator/mentor watch and admire from a distance while the children figure it out completely by themselves with a computer.

HuffPost

As I was slowly and reluctantly getting into my coat, I happened to look down to the far end of the ballroom... and there, almost cosmically, standing completely by themselves with no one within 50 feet of them, were Pete and John, having a chat.

Huffington Post

The Go/NoGo paradigm was not explained beforehand, so that the human subjects, just like the birds, had to figure out the correct procedure completely by themselves.

Animal Cognition

18.9% (102/539 respondents) agreed to pay all fees for training seminars completely by themselves, 63.8% (344 respondents) agreed to contribute partially and 17.3% (93 respondents) refused any cost sharing.

BMC Medical Education

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

It's a stretch to say that the Label Integrity Laws adopted by the Australian government in 1989 completely transformed McLaren Vale all by themselves, but the effect was profound: For the first time a bottle of Australian wine, by regulation, had to acknowledge where the great majority of its grapes had come from.

Forbes

The machines can also be operated remotely or even operate completely independently, by themselves".

BBC

If you want to be safe, make sure you have finished EV training it until you finish leveling it to lvl 100 (normally, since a lot of battling is required to reach lvl 100 without Rare Candy'ing it, these will fill completely up by themselves).

WikiHow

The Association was run completely by the women themselves: they elected their own officers and held their own meetings; they helped organize the city's female workers, and set up branches in other mill towns.

Wikipedia

I found this shirt recently while going through old suitcases — you know, the kind with leather patches on the corners, the ones that are heavy even when completely empty, just by themselves.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "completely by themselves" to emphasize self-reliance or independence when describing a task or action. This clarifies that no external assistance was involved.

Common error

Avoid using "completely by themselves" when describing actions that involve teamwork or collaboration. The phrase implies individual effort, which is contradictory in a group setting.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "completely by themselves" functions as an adverbial phrase modifying a verb, emphasizing how an action is performed. As Ludwig AI highlights, this indicates that the action was performed without any assistance.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

40%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "completely by themselves" is a grammatically sound and usable phrase in English. As Ludwig AI confirms, its purpose is to emphasize that an action was performed independently and without any assistance. While the phrase enjoys usage across diverse contexts, it is most commonly found in news media and scientific publications. When using this phrase, ensure it accurately reflects the self-reliant nature of the described action and consider alternatives like "entirely on their own" for similar emphasis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

entirely on their own

Emphasizes the lack of any external help or intervention; very similar in meaning.

totally independently

Focuses on the independent nature of the action or entity.

all by their own efforts

Highlights the effort and work involved in achieving something without assistance.

without any help whatsoever

Stresses the complete absence of assistance.

solely through their own resources

Emphasizes the reliance on internal resources rather than external aid.

unaided and independently

Combines both the lack of aid and the independent nature of the action.

of their own volition

Highlights that the action was done willingly and without coercion but not necessarily without help.

under their own steam

An informal idiom emphasizing self-reliance and effort.

by their own agency

Emphasizes that individuals acted through their own power.

on their own initiative

Focuses on the proactive and self-motivated nature of the action.

FAQs

What does "completely by themselves" mean?

The phrase "completely by themselves" means doing something entirely alone, without any help or assistance from others. It emphasizes independence and self-reliance.

When is it appropriate to use "completely by themselves" in a sentence?

Use "completely by themselves" when you want to highlight that someone or something acted independently and without external aid. For example: "The children built the treehouse "entirely on their own"."

What are some alternatives to the phrase "completely by themselves"?

Alternatives include "entirely on their own", "totally independently", or "all by their own efforts". The choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is there a difference between "by themselves" and "completely by themselves"?

While "by themselves" indicates doing something alone, "completely by themselves" adds emphasis to the lack of assistance, highlighting the self-sufficiency involved. The latter is more emphatic.