nearly
nearly Lexical Profile
nearly Game Scores & Validity
• adverb
Very close to; almost; with very little margin in time, space, degree, or quantity.
"The restoration of the historic library took nearly five years to complete."
With a close relation, connection, or intimacy; closely or intimately.
"She is nearly related to several prominent scholars in the region."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'nearly' and 'almost' are largely interchangeable when indicating closeness in degree, quantity, or time, 'nearly' cannot precede negative words like 'no', 'never', 'nothing', or 'nobody' (e.g., use 'almost never' or 'hardly ever', not 'nearly never'). Conversely, 'nearly' can be directly preceded by 'not' ('not nearly enough'), whereas 'not almost' is unidiomatic.
• Rhymes for nearly
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 16th century from the adjective and adverb 'near' (from Old English 'neah', meaning 'nigh' or 'close') combined with the adverbial suffix '-ly'.