Wiktionary
on the whole
adv. (context idiomatic English) for the most part; apart from some insignificant details. alt. (context idiomatic English) for the most part; apart from some insignificant details.
WordNet
on the whole
adv. with everything considered (and neglecting details); "altogether, I'm sorry it happened"; "all in all, it's not so bad" [syn: all in all, altogether, tout ensemble]