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nearly

nearly

1.0
Almost but not completely
  • adverb
  • /ˈnɪrli/
translation icon : casi
  • She is nearly finished with her project; only a few tasks remain.
  • nearly half
  • nearly a year
  • nearly 50 percent

And yeah, that was nearly three years ago now.

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Examples

  • Today the public schools are nearly all black, and the private schools all white.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Shops and schools were closed, commerce nearly ground to a halt.

  • And when the waiting was nearly over, guess what we did?

  • And that was like, you know, nearly nine years ago.

  • There were some, but not nearly what was required for this moment.

  • My son is also nearly eight.

  • But you spent nearly all last week there.

  • The settings will nearly always be cities.

  • But feeling better doesn't take nearly as much time as we think it will.

  • We're nearly there.

Synonyms

about
vsnearly
1.0

Not exact but near a number, amount, or time

is the basic closeness term usable beyond numeric contexts
almost
vsnearly
1.0

Nearly but not completely

is interchangeable with it without changing meaning
pretty much
vsnearly
  • Informal
3.0

Almost completely but not quite

is the stricter closeness term rather than expressing broad extent
just about
vsnearly
915 2.7

Almost right, but not exactly

is the core adverb for expressing close but incomplete truth
practically
vsnearly
634 2.5

Almost but not completely

is the general adverb for being very close but not complete
virtually
vsnearly
578 3.6

Almost complete but not fully finished

is the neutral closeness term not implying imminent change
approximately
vsnearly
524 3.2

Near the exact number or amount

is the general closeness adverb not limited to numbers
roughly
vsnearly
373 1.6

About a number or amount that is not exact

is the closer, more exact adverb rather than a rough estimate
more or less
vsnearly
301 2.1

About a number or idea, not exact but close enough

is the focused closeness adverb rather than flexible approximation
near
vsnearly
111 1.0

Almost happening or becoming true

is the general closeness adverb without focus on accomplishment
nigh
vsnearly
  • Archaic
23 9.9

Very near in time, place, or degree

is the modern neutral adverb for being close but not complete
well-nigh
vsnearly
  • Archaic
1 8.4

Almost but not completely

is the basic adverb for indicating closeness without completion

Antonyms

1.0

Totally, in every way

331 1.0

In no way

How Complete

virtually
578 3.6
nearly
1.0
partly
375 1.0
scarcely
68 4.2

Surface Forms

nearly positive
nearlier comparative
nearest superlative

Morphology

nearly = near (transparent) = near + ly

The adverb is a regular derivation from the adjective 'near' using the productive suffix '-ly', and the meaning 'almost' or 'very close to' is directly predictable from 'near'.

Etymology

Nearly comes from near ('close') plus the ending -ly, so it originally meant 'in a close way'. So, nearly means 'almost but not completely'.