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

More than 16 million Americans over 65 now live alone, a figure that has nearly tripled since 1950. —Neal K. Shah, Boston Herald, 17 Mar. 2026

Illinois also broke with federal vaccine recommendations on other occasions last year, deciding to continue to recommend hepatitis B vaccines for nearly all newborns and to continue to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for all children ages 6 to 23 months. —Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026

Jon and Carie Hallford each pleaded guilty in December to nearly 200 counts of corpse abuse in state court. —Arkansas Online, 17 Mar. 2026

While state lawmakers have passed nearly 50 new laws aimed at improving youth mental health, Colorado Health Institute found 44% of kids who needed care last year didn't get it due to a lack of money or insurance. —Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 17 Mar. 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