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

• closely
• near

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

It was projected to collect nearly $400 million in user fees from the medical device makers last year, most of which goes to payroll and operating expenses for employees at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. —Michael Erman, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025

In 2023, global renewable capacity additions soared almost 50% to nearly 510 gigawatts (GW), the largest increase in the past two decades. —Javier Cavada, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025

Standard Chartered for instance beat market expectations, and is now trading up by nearly 5%. —Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 21 Feb. 2025

The study also revealed concerns about fairness, with nearly 60% worried about possible discrimination. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 21 Feb. 2025

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