totally good

USAGE SUMMARY

'totally good' is not correct and usable in written English.
You should use 'excellent' or 'tremendous' instead. For example, "This book is totally excellent - I couldn't put it down!".

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

30 human-written examples

I'm totally good with LSD.

The New Yorker

Shouts & Murmurs: "I'm totally good with LSD.

The New Yorker

"I run a totally good department.

The New York Times

But he's totally cute, and totally good on guitar.

The New York Times

Nobody is totally good, nobody is totally evil.

The Guardian

I was amazed at how modern Shostakovich sounded, maybe not in a totally good way.

The New York Times - Arts

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

30 human-written examples

It's all good -- totally understandable.

Huffington Post

When I say the program is good, what I mean is that it is good for the interns, not necessarily good for those of us who hire them, or to be totally honest, not necessarily good for me.

Huffington Post

"We-like-don't-have-any-money-or-anything-butI'm-totally-good-for-an-i.o.u.," she blurts at a gang of dumbstruck neo-Nazis she has mistaken for garage mechanics.

The New York Times - Arts

"Totally looking good.

The New Yorker

"And it's totally about good and evil," he said.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

For formal writing, consider using stronger, more precise adjectives like "excellent" or adverbs like "completely" with "satisfactory" to improve clarity and impact.

Common error

Avoid using "totally" as a universal intensifier, especially in formal contexts. Overuse can dilute your message. Instead, select adverbs that specifically match the quality you wish to emphasize.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "totally good" functions as an adverb-adjective combination, where "totally" intensifies the adjective "good". Ludwig indicates that this combination is generally considered incorrect for formal use, although commonly found in informal contexts.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Wiki

15%

Science

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "totally good" is an adverb-adjective pairing used to express strong agreement or satisfaction. While relatively common, particularly in News & Media contexts, Ludwig AI considers it grammatically incorrect for formal writing. More appropriate alternatives such as "completely satisfactory" or "perfectly acceptable" offer increased precision and formality. It's advisable to reserve "totally good" for informal settings and opt for more refined language in professional or academic contexts.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

perfectly fine

Uses "perfectly" to intensify the statement, replacing "totally", and "fine" as a more casual synonym for "good".

absolutely fine

Uses "absolutely" to intensify the statement, replacing "totally", and "fine" as a more casual synonym for "good".

completely acceptable

Replaces "totally" with "completely" for similar emphasis and "good" with "acceptable" for formality.

completely satisfactory

Replaces "totally" with a more formal adverb and "good" with a synonym emphasizing satisfaction.

absolutely satisfactory

Replaces "totally" with "absolutely" for similar emphasis and "good" with "satisfactory" for formality.

entirely acceptable

Replaces "totally" with "entirely" for emphasis and "good" with "acceptable" for formality.

entirely satisfactory

Replaces "totally" with "entirely" for emphasis and "good" with "satisfactory" for formality.

perfectly acceptable

Substitutes both words for a more formal and precise expression of adequacy.

wholly acceptable

Uses "wholly" as a synonym for "totally" and "acceptable" instead of "good" for a more formal tone.

thoroughly agreeable

Replaces "good" with "agreeable", suggesting a sense of pleasing or suitable nature, and "totally" with "thoroughly" which carries similar meaning.

FAQs

Is "totally good" grammatically correct?

While commonly used in informal speech, "totally good" is generally considered grammatically questionable in formal writing. More precise alternatives like "completely satisfactory" or "perfectly acceptable" are preferred.

What can I say instead of "totally good"?

You can use alternatives like "completely satisfactory", "perfectly acceptable", or "entirely satisfactory" depending on the context.

When is it appropriate to use "totally good"?

"Totally good" is generally acceptable in informal settings like casual conversations or informal writing. However, avoid it in formal or professional contexts where precision and clarity are crucial.

Which is correct, "totally good" or "completely good"?

"Completely good" is slightly more grammatically sound than "totally good", but both are generally weaker choices than alternatives like "entirely satisfactory" or "perfectly fine" in formal writing.