nigh

adverb \ ˈnī \

Definition of nigh

1 :near in place, time, or relationship

Morning was drawing nigh.

—often used with on, onto, or unto

served … for nigh on forty years
—M. S. Tisdale

2 :nearly, almost

… once well nigh broke his neck, by a fall from one of its branches.
—Washington Irving

See nigh defined for English-language learners

See nigh defined for kids

Examples of nigh in a Sentence

The snow is melting. Spring is nigh.
It would be nigh impossible to fix it.

Recent Examples of nigh from the Web

The end was nigh, however: The last horse-rendering plant closed in 1921, a victim of the automobile, and the planning czar Robert Moses condemned most of the former island in 1936 to build what’s now known as the Gil Hodges-Marine Parkway Bridge.

— keith williams, New York Times, "When Dead Horse Bay Was True to Its Name," 6 July 2017
Still, among the economists in Sintra there was plenty of skepticism about whether the Robocalpyse is nigh.

— jack ewing, The Seattle Times, "Robocalpyse now? Central bankers argue whether automation will kill jobs," 1 July 2017
In-game time freezes while selecting and casting non-physical attacks, and Valkyria Revolution provides nigh-unlimited mana with which to cast spells.

— steven strom, Ars Technica, "Valkyria Revolution trades in cult-classic status for wasted promise," 27 June 2017
Episode 8 of Twin Peaks then, is an experimental horror film, one that's nigh-impossible to parse but also appears to abide by the logic that the rest of the show is probably adhering to.

— joshua rivera, GQ, "Last Night's Nightmarish, Brilliant Twin Peaks: What Was That?," 26 June 2017
Hummingbirds lay eggs that look like Tic Tacs, owls lay nigh-perfect spheres, and sandpipers lay almost conical eggs that end in a rounded point.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Why Are Bird Eggs Egg-Shaped? An Eggsplainer," 22 June 2017
The end was nigh by the mid-'80s, however, when Route 66 had been replaced almost in its entirety by five soul-crushing interstates.

— mark johanson, chicagotribune.com, "Still kicking: Route 66's glory days live on along colorful stretch of Arizona," 20 June 2017
In some ways, fans of The Process are right to feel their vindication is nigh.

— david murphy, Philly.com, "Far from over, most interesting part of The Process is just beginning | David Murphy," 20 June 2017
While Hong Kongers were invited to publicly comment on the negotiations, the secret nature of them made doing so nigh impossible.

— james griffiths, CNN, "The secret negotiations that sealed Hong Kong's future," 18 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of nigh

Middle English, from Old English nēah; akin to Old High German nāh, adverb, nigh, preposition, nigh, after, Old Norse nā- nigh

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

nigh Synonyms

Synonyms

around, by, close, hard, in, nearby, near

Related Words

hereabouts (or hereabout), hereaway (or hereaways) [dialect], thereabouts (also thereabout); along, alongside; accessibly, conveniently, handily

Near Antonyms

absolutely, altogether, completely, entirely, fully, plain, plumb [chiefly dialect], quite, thoroughly; totally, utterly, well, wholly; barely, hardly, scarcely

nigh

adjective

Definition of nigh

1 :close, near

2 chiefly dialectal :direct, short

3 :being on the left side

the nigh horse

Recent Examples of nigh from the Web

But Friday brings a more local sign that summer is nigh upon us when Panther Island Brewing releases its Summageez seasonal brew, which is brewed with real Parker County peaches.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram.com, "Why Panther Island Brewing takes its Parker County peaches personally," 8 June 2017
The San Jose Fantasy Faire & Pirate Fest is nigh upon us.

— randy mcmullen, The Mercury News, "Got weekend plans? We have a few ideas (April 6 edition)," 6 Apr. 2017

Origin and Etymology of nigh

see ¹nigh

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

nigh Synonyms

Synonyms

close-up, immediate, near, nearby, neighboring, next-door, close, proximate

Antonyms

away, deep, distant, far, faraway, far-off, remote

Related Words

abutting, adjacent, adjoining, bordering, contiguous; approaching, coming, forthcoming, oncoming, upcoming; accessible, convenient, handy; close-in, hand-to-hand

Near Antonyms

divorced, removed, separated

Other Dialect Terms

bespoke, boughten, lave, muchacho, spunk, thunk, toboggan

nigh

preposition

Definition of nigh

:near

Examples of nigh in a Sentence

a field nigh the church

Origin and Etymology of nigh

see ¹nigh

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

nigh Synonyms

Synonyms

about, by, near, next to, around

Related Words

alongside, beside; across, along, at; circa; toward (or towards)

nigh

verb

Definition of nigh

transitive verb

:to draw or come near to :approach

intransitive verb

:to draw near

Examples of nigh in a Sentence

as the hour of his death was nighing
as the old man was nighing his hour of death

Origin and Etymology of nigh

see ¹nigh

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

nigh Synonyms

Synonyms

belly up, close, close in, come up, draw on, near, approach

Antonyms

back (up or away), recede, retire, retreat, withdraw

Related Words

arrive, attain, come, gain, hit, land, make, reach, show up, turn up, waltz up; creep up, sneak up; adjoin, border, touch, verge

Near Antonyms

clear out, depart, exit, go, leave, light out, pull out, quit, remove, run away, shove (off), take off, walk out

NIGH Defined for English Language Learners

nigh

adverb

Definition of nigh for English Language Learners

: close in time or place
: almost or nearly

NIGH Defined for Kids

nigh

adverb \ ˈnī \

Definition of nigh for Students

1 :near in time or place

Autumn is nigh.

I drew nigh and planted the kitten on the table …
—Richard Peck, A Long Way from Chicago

2 :almost, nearly

It was nigh impossible to hear them.

nigh

adjective

Definition of nigh for Students

:³close 1, near

I wandered in the woods nigh home.

Learn More about nigh

See words that rhyme with nigh Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for nigh Spanish Central: Translation of nigh Nglish: Translation of nigh for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

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

show

nigh

Definition of nigh

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of nigh in a Sentence

Recent Examples of nigh from the Web

Origin and Etymology of nigh

nigh Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

nigh

Definition of nigh

Recent Examples of nigh from the Web

Origin and Etymology of nigh

nigh Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Dialect Terms

nigh

Definition of nigh

Examples of nigh in a Sentence

Origin and Etymology of nigh

nigh Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

nigh

Definition of nigh

Examples of nigh in a Sentence

Origin and Etymology of nigh

nigh Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to NIGH

Related Phrases

NIGH Defined for English Language Learners

nigh

Definition of nigh for English Language Learners

NIGH Defined for Kids

nigh

Definition of nigh for Students

nigh

Definition of nigh for Students

Learn More about nigh

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066