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 of nearly

• closely

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

Fort Collins now has drones flying the city nearly every day as a resource to the police, fire and utilities departments. —Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026

Kharg Island is about 33 kilometers (21 miles) off Iran’s coast and is the primary terminal through which nearly all of the country’s oil exports pass. —ABC News, 31 Mar. 2026

Fidel Castro led Cuba for nearly five decades after the communist revolution in 1959, nationalizing industry on the island and bringing Havana close to the then-Soviet Union before handing power to his brother, Raúl Castro. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026

Tungsten, a metal nearly as hard as a diamond, creates the electrical connection in the core of a semiconductor chip. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026

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