Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

nearly

adverb
near·ly | \ˈnir-lē \

Definition of nearly 

1 : in a close manner or relationship nearly related

2a : almost but not quite nearly identical nearly a year later

b : to the least extent not nearly as good as we expected

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about nearly

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for nearly

Synonyms

about, all but, almost, borderline, fairly, more or less, most, much, near, next to, nigh, practically, somewhere, virtually, well-nigh

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

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.
See More

Recent Examples on the Web

 Kathy Griffin got pretty quiet last year in the weeks and months following that time her life was upended and her career nearly derailed by a now-infamous photo of the comedian holding a Donald Trump mask covered in fake blood. — Théoden Janes, charlotteobserver, "Controversial comic Kathy Griffin’s back, with a warning for fans coming to her show," 13 July 2018 Western Massachusetts towns are expected to receive nearly an inch of rain, with 0.94 inches in North Adams, 0.95 inches in Pittsfield, and 0.96 inches in Great Barrington, the weather service tweeted. — Elise Takahama, BostonGlobe.com, "Scattered showers will hit Boston this weekend, along with increasing clouds and humidity," 14 July 2018 Numerous hospitals got a nearly identical email, including Liberty Hospital. — Jason Hancock, kansascity, "Hospitals fear Parson budget cut could endanger stroke, heart attack, trauma patients," 13 July 2018 Click to Read Story Croatia: The World Cup’s Russian Nesting Dolls To mount its best World Cup run since 1998, Croatia had to make a squad of nearly-identical players fit together. — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, "France, on the Brink of a World Cup Win, Has the Bleus," 13 July 2018 These sentiments are nearly identical to last June. — Dana Blanton, Fox News, "Fox News Poll: Trump not tough enough on Russia, approval of Mueller down," 13 July 2018 The two distributors shipped nearly identical volumes of opioids to Missouri between 2012 and 2017: roughly 650 million doses each. — Lev Facher, STAT, "System for reporting suspicious opioid orders repeatedly failed, report finds," 12 July 2018 The two-tiered white and gold confection featured a top layer that resembled a ruffle and was nearly identical to the top half of Vergara’s birthday outfit. — Madison Roberts, PEOPLE.com, "Sofia Vergara Celebrated Her 46th Birthday with a Cake That Matched Her Dress Exactly," 11 July 2018 Missouri voted for Trump by a margin nearly identical to Indiana’s (19 points). — USA TODAY, "'Pivot counties' will be key in fight for Senate control," 10 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nearly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of nearly

1561, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about nearly

Dictionary Entries near nearly

nearish

Near Islands

near-legged

nearly

nearly gave someone a heart attack

near miss

near money

Phrases Related to nearly

nearly gave someone a heart attack

not nearly

pretty near/nearly

Statistics for nearly

Last Updated

8 Oct 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for nearly

The first known use of nearly was in 1561

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for nearly

nearly

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of nearly

: not completely : almost but not quite

See the full definition for nearly in the English Language Learners Dictionary

nearly

adverb
near·ly | \ˈnir-lē \

Kids Definition of nearly

1 : in a close manner or relationship They're nearly related.

2 : almost but not quite We're nearly finished.

3 : to the least extent It's not nearly enough.

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on nearly

See words that rhyme with nearly

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for nearly

Spanish Central: Translation of nearly

Nglish: Translation of nearly for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of nearly for Arabic Speakers

Comments on nearly

What made you want to look up nearly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

brouhaha

a state of commotion or excitement

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz

  • the-triumph-of-venus-by-alessandro-magnasco
  • Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

TRENDING NOW

  1. rogue Trump speculates on Saudi journalist's fate

  2. nepotism Trump muses about Ivanka UN appointment

  3. cloture McConnell motions for Kavanaugh vote

  4. quorum Kavanaugh advances to Senate floor

  5. sequela Ford testifies in front of Senate

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games