nigh

1 of 3

adverb

ˈnī 

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

nigh

2 of 3

adjective

1

: close, near

2

chiefly dialectal : direct, short

3

: being on the left side

the nigh horse

nigh

3 of 3

preposition

: near

Synonyms of nigh

Adverb

• close
• near
• in

Adjective

• near
• close

Preposition

• near
• around
• beside
• at

Examples of nigh in a Sentence

Adverb

The snow is melting. Spring is nigh.

It would be nigh impossible to fix it.

Adjective

the end is nigh

Preposition

a field nigh the church

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

This makes the run from the gate to the first turn is some 281 yards and change, or nigh on three football fields in length. —Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

The wildfires of rumour, once lit, are nigh impossible to extinguish. —Literary Hub, 28 May 2026

Assigning LRDs a smaller size sidesteps the problem of nigh inexplicably overgrown black holes but only by branding them as an unprecedented, newfound celestial species—the black hole star. —Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 27 May 2026

Equipment can fail; guidelines can break; visibility can become nigh on impossible. —Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 25 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adverb, Adjective, and Preposition

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

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing nigh

• draw near/nigh
• well-nigh

Rhymes for nigh

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• buy
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry

Kids Definition

nigh

1 of 2 adverb

ˈnī 

1

: near in place, time, or relationship

2

: almost, nearly

nigh

2 of 2 adjective

: not far : close, near

Etymology

Adverb

Old English nēah "near, nigh" — related to near, neighbor see Word History at neighbor