nearly

Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

near·ly

(nîr′lē)

adv.

1. Almost but not quite: The coat nearly fits.

2. In a close manner; intimately: a matter nearly affecting our interests.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

nearly

(ˈnɪəlɪ)

adv

1. not quite; almost; practically

2. not nearly nowhere near; not at all: not nearly enough money.

3. closely: the person most nearly concerned.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

near•ly

(ˈnɪər li)

adv.

1. all but; almost: nearly dead with cold; a plan nearly like our own.

2. with close approximation: a nearly perfect likeness.

3. with close kinship, interest, or connection; intimately.

almost

– nearly

1. when you can use 'almost' or 'nearly'

Almost and nearly both mean 'not completely' or 'not quite'. They can be used in front of adjectives or noun phrases, or with verbs.

Dinner is almost ready.

We're nearly ready now.

I spent almost a month in China.

He worked there for nearly five years.

Jenny almost fainted.

He nearly died.

Almost and nearly can also be used in front of some time adverbials such as every morning and every day, and in front of some place adverbials such as there.

We go swimming almost every evening.

I drive to work nearly every day.

We are almost there.

I think we are nearly there.

If it is almost or nearly a particular time, it will be that time soon.

It was almost 10 p.m.

It's nearly dinner-time.

2. when you use 'almost'

Don't use 'nearly' in front of adverbs ending in '-ly'. You should use almost in front of these adverbs.

She said it almost angrily.

Your boss is almost certainly there.

You can say that one thing is almost like another. Don't say that one thing is 'nearly like' another.

It made me feel almost like a mother.

You can use almost in front of negative words such as never, no, none, no-one, nothing, and nowhere.

He almost never visits.

She speaks almost no English.

Don't use 'nearly' in front of negative words like these.

3. when you use 'nearly'

You can use nearly after not to emphasize a negative statement. For example, instead of saying 'The room is not big enough', you can say 'The room is not nearly big enough'.

It's not nearly as nice.

We don't do nearly enough to help.

Don't use 'almost' after not like this.

You can use very or so in front of nearly.

We were very nearly at the end of our journey.

She so nearly won the championship.

Don't use 'almost' with very or so.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Adv.	1.	nearly - (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but; "the job is (just) about done"; "the baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded"; "we're almost finished"; "the car all but ran her down"; "he nearly fainted"; "talked for nigh onto 2 hours"; "the recording is well-nigh perfect"; "virtually all the parties signed the contract"; "I was near exhausted by the run"; "most everyone agrees" almost, well-nigh, near, nigh, virtually, most, about
	2.	nearly - in a close manner; "the two phenomena are intimately connected"; "the person most nearly concerned" intimately, closely

nearly

adverb

1. practically, about, almost, near, close to, virtually, next to, all but, just about, not quite, more or less, pretty well (informal), bordering on, not far from, as good as, verging on, not far off, well-nigh, nigh on, pretty nearly (informal) The beach was nearly empty.

2. almost, about, approaching, roughly, just about, approximately, nigh on It was already nearly eight o'clock.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

nearly

adverb

Near to in quantity or amount:

about, almost, approximately, roughly.

Idiom: on the order of.

Translations

تَقْرِيباًتَقْريبا، حوالي

skorotéměř

næsten

beinahe fast nahezuamper

σχεδόν

casi cerca de por poco

melkein

presque

skoro

næstum

quasi strettamente da vicino molto

ほとんど

거의

skoraj

nästan

เกือบ

hemen hemen neredeyse

gần như

几乎将近

nearly

[ˈnɪəlɪ] ADV

1. (= almost) → casi
it's nearly three o'clock → son casi las tres
she's nearly 40 → tiene casi 40 años
it was nearly dark → era casi de noche
I've nearly finished → casi he terminado
I nearly fell over → casi me caigo
she was nearly as tall as he was → era casi tan alta como él
we are nearly there → casi hemos llegado
I nearly lost it → casi lo pierdo, por poco lo pierdo
very nearly → casi
he (very) nearly succeeded → estuvo a punto de conseguirlo

2. (with negative) not nearly → ni con mucho, ni mucho menos
these drugs are not nearly as effective as the others → estos medicamentos no son ni con mucho or ni mucho menos tan eficaces como los otros
that's not nearly enough → eso no es ni mucho menos suficiente
your work isn't nearly good enough → tu trabajo no es ni con mucho satisfactorio
it's not nearly ready → falta mucho para que esté listo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

nearly

[ˈnɪə^rli] adv

(= almost) → presque
Dinner's nearly ready → Le dîner est presque prêt.
I'm nearly 15 → J'ai presque quinze ans.
It was nearly dark → Il faisait presque nuit.
The beach was nearly empty → La plage était presque déserte.
She was nearly in tears
BUT Elle était au bord des larmes.
nearly as ... as ... → presque aussi ... que ...
You're nearly as tall as I am → Tu es presque aussi grand que moi.
She was nearly as tall as he was → Elle était presque aussi grande que lui.
nearly always → presque toujours
nearly an hour → presque une heure
I've been waiting for nearly an hour → J'attends depuis presque une heure.
Brody had been sitting there for nearly an hour → Brody était resté assis là pendant presque une heure.
nearly there
You're nearly there → Tu y es presque.
to nearly do sth → faillir faire qch
I nearly ... → j'ai failli ...
I nearly fell → J'ai failli tomber.
I nearly missed the train → J'ai failli rater le train.
I very nearly ... → j'ai bien failli ...
I very nearly fell → J'ai bien failli tomber.
I've nearly ... → j'ai presque ...
I've nearly finished → J'ai presque fini.

(= far from)
It's not nearly big enough → Ce n'est vraiment pas assez grand., C'est loin d'être assez grand.
The film isn't nearly as good as the book → Le film est loin d'être aussi bon que le livre.near miss n

[planes] → quasi-collision f
Most near misses in the air are caused by pilot error → La plupart des quasi-collisions sont dues à des erreurs de pilotage.

(when aiming) → coup m manqué de peu

(in competition) (= near-victory) → quasi-victoire f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

nearly

adv

(= almost) → beinahe, fast; I nearly laughed → ich hätte fast or beinahe gelacht; she was nearly crying or in tears → sie war den Tränen nahe; we are nearly there (at a place) → wir sind fast da; (with a job) → wir sind fast so weit; he very nearly drowned → er wäre um ein Haar ertrunken

not nearly → bei Weitem nicht, nicht annähernd; not nearly enough → bei Weitem nicht genug

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

nearly

[ˈnɪəlɪ] adv

a. (gen) → quasi
not nearly → non... affatto
it's not nearly ready → non è affatto pronto
that's not nearly enough → non basta per niente

b. (with vb) I nearly lost it → per poco non lo perdevo
she was nearly crying → era lì lì per piangere
he very nearly died → ha rischiato di morire
did you win? - very nearly! → hai vinto? - c'è mancato poco!

near

(niə) adjective

1. not far away in place or time. The station is quite near; Christmas is getting near.

2. not far away in relationship. He is a near relation.

adverb

1. to or at a short distance from here or the place mentioned. He lives quite near.

2. (with to) close to. Don't sit too near to the window.

preposition

at a very small distance from (in place, time etc). She lives near the church; It was near midnight when they arrived.

verb

to come near (to). The roads became busier as they neared the town; as evening was nearing.

ˈnearly adverb

not far from; almost. nearly one o'clock; He has nearly finished.

ˈnearness noun

nearby (niəˈbai) adverb

close to here or the place mentioned. He lives nearby; a cottage with a stream running nearby.

ˈnearside adjective

(of the side of a vehicle etc) furthest from the centre of the road.

ˌnear-ˈsighted adjective

short-sighted.

a near miss

something that is almost a hit, success etc.

nearly

→ تَقْرِيباً skoro næsten beinahe σχεδόν casi melkein presque skoro quasi ほとんど 거의 bijna nesten prawie quase почти nästan เกือบ hemen hemen gần như 几乎

References in classic literature ?

Osborne's seat, about a mile from Penstruthal, in North Wales ; and at 7 minutes past 11, every thing being ready for departure, the balloon was set free, rising gently but steadily, in a direction nearly South ; no use being made, for the first half hour, of either the screw or the rudder.

View in context

"He said it was about three o'clock," replied the Man in a Hurry; "but he did not look at his watch, and as the sun is nearly down, I think it is later."

View in context

He was misled, however, either through the ignorance or treachery of an Indian guide, and conducted into a wild valley where he lay encamped during the autumn and the early part of the winter, nearly buried in snow and almost starved.

View in context

the Romans landed in Britain, and for nearly four hundred years after that they kept coming and going.

View in context

There he nearly fell over the body of the hunchback, and without knowing what it was gave it such a kick that it rolled right to the bottom, and very nearly dragged the doctor after it.

View in context

But few buildings in Zodanga were higher than these barracks, though several topped it by a few hundred feet; the docks of the great battleships of the line standing some fifteen hundred feet from the ground, while the freight and passenger stations of the merchant squadrons rose nearly as high.

View in context

I have fre- quently felt her head, and found it nearly covered with festering sores, caused by the lash of her cruel mistress.

View in context

The mouth of the hole was nearly filled up now, but the kitten gave a leap through the remaining opening and at once scampered up into the air.

View in context

It was too early yet to tell anything-- the bank would not open for nearly three hours.

View in context

These two varieties will generally continue to be exposed to the same conditions which made their parents variable, and the tendency to variability is in itself hereditary, consequently they will tend to vary, and generally to vary in nearly the same manner as their parents varied.

View in context

The inhabitants are chiefly landowners, together with a few shopkeepers and the necessary tradesmen, such as blacksmiths and carpenters, who do nearly all the business for a circuit of fifty miles round.

View in context

When he heaved himself up on his front flippers he stood more than four feet clear of the ground, and his weight, if anyone had been bold enough to weigh him, was nearly seven hundred pounds.