nearly

adverb

near·​ly ˈnir-lē 

1

: in a close manner or relationship

nearly related

2

a

: almost but not quite

nearly identical

nearly a year later

b

: to the least extent

not nearly as good as we expected

Synonyms of nearly

• closely

Examples of nearly in a Sentence

I see her nearly every day.

We lived there for nearly two years.

Nearly all of us got sick that weekend.

Recent Examples on the Web

One Japanese city is taking no chances after a series of bear sightings this week, closing nearly 100 schools as officials scour the town, and as attacks take place elsewhere in the country. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 9 June 2026

Raman attended nearly 100 community meet-and-greets, her political team said. —Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026

From electronics to clothing to food, nearly every industry has felt the sting. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 9 June 2026

Thousands of Knicks fans are in Manhattan today ahead of the biggest game in nearly three decades. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 9 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1561, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nearly

• nearly gave someone a heart attack
• not nearly
• pretty near/nearly

Rhymes for nearly

• clearly
• dearly
• merely
• queerly
• yearly
• austerely
• severely
• sincerely
• cavalierly

Kids Definition

nearly

adverb

near·​ly ˈni(ə)r-lē 

1

: in a close manner or relationship

nearly related

2

: almost but not quite

nearly the same

nearly missed the train

3

: to the least extent

not nearly enough