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
That was not nearly as much as Jim had feared.
—
Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2025
But as hazardous as that sounds, too large is not nearly as insulting as too small.
—Irv Erdos, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
The Lakers got 36 points from likely first-time All-Star Austin Reaves, with 15 of those coming on free throws, but not nearly enough from his depleted supporting cast.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
Similarly, rolling back tariffs on a few food items is not nearly far enough given concerns over rising prices for food and other goods.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not nearly
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Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 9 Dec. 2025
But as hazardous as that sounds, too large is not nearly as insulting as too small.
—Irv Erdos, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2025
The Lakers got 36 points from likely first-time All-Star Austin Reaves, with 15 of those coming on free throws, but not nearly enough from his depleted supporting cast.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
Similarly, rolling back tariffs on a few food items is not nearly far enough given concerns over rising prices for food and other goods.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 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 17 Dec. 2025.
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