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

For tax purposes, the Collin County Appraisal District valued the property at nearly $2 million. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026

Lucille, his wife of nearly 40 years, died in 2004. —Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026

The holiday is considered a mile marker for the MLB season, and nearly 90% of teams that have been in playoff position on the final Monday of May the past four seasons (since the playoffs were expanded to six teams per league) have ended up in the postseason. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026

The spotlight grew too hot, however, and after the latter date Rollins dropped out of sight for nearly three years. —Chris Morris, Variety, 26 May 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