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

That’s a big difference—Costco shoppers visit 60% more often and spend nearly twice as much annually compared to Sam’s Club members. —Roger Dooley, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025

Welch, who was an ecologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for nearly a decade, specialized in mapping the movement of marine animals. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025

That’s nearly the amount that Scripps planned to spend replacing Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego in Hillcrest when the health system announced a $2.6 billion construction program in 2017. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025

Gold prices have soared 12% so far this year, while the S&P 500 has plummeted nearly 7%. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 17 Mar. 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