not nearly
idiom
: much less than : not at all
There's not nearly enough flour for a cake here.
It's not nearly as late as I thought it was.
Examples of not nearly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And, as multiple players teased Monday at media day, a change in play style aimed at maximizing a roster that is not nearly as deep or star-studded as the ones the franchise fielded for the past several seasons.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
Which was not nearly all of them.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Vancouver’s Thomas Muller is a big name in Germany, but not nearly on the Messi or Son level at this stage in his career.
—Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
These are the repercussions that conservatives have been experiencing for years for infractions not nearly as egregious.
—Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not nearly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025
Which was not nearly all of them.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Vancouver’s Thomas Muller is a big name in Germany, but not nearly on the Messi or Son level at this stage in his career.
—Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
These are the repercussions that conservatives have been experiencing for years for infractions not nearly as egregious.
—Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not nearly
Cite this Entry
“Not nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20nearly. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share