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

In a recent LinkedIn survey, nearly half of companies expected employees to start using AI, yet 41% of professionals already feel overwhelmed by how quickly they are expected to master it. —Feon Ang, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025

Beijing nearly doubled the rate of expansion at missile production sites in the two years that followed the onset of the war, according to CNN’s satellite imagery analysis of constructed floorspace. —Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025

Average readership of American newspapers nearly doubled in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, says Juergens. —JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025

But the more bullish container volume and profit forecasts didn’t help assuage investors, with stock falling nearly 5 percent during the day. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 6 Nov. 2025

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