nearly

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparable

   Almost, but not completely or exactly.

   Grammar: Placed before the word it modifies: 'nearly finished', 'nearly all', 'nearly fell'.

   Patterns

   • nearly + adjective
   • nearly + verb
   • nearly all
   • nearly every

   I've nearly finished my homework.

   She nearly missed the train this morning.

   Nearly all the students passed the exam.

2. 2adverbnot comparable

   Not completely; not quite.

   Grammar: Used to talk about a small difference from a state or amount: 'not nearly enough', 'nearly ready'.

   Patterns

   • not nearly
   • nearly ready
   • nearly there

   We're not nearly ready to leave yet.

   The project is nearly there; just a few more details.

   He's not nearly as tall as his brother.

Common combinations

nearly finished

I'm nearly finished with this book.

nearly all

Nearly all the guests had arrived by eight.

nearly always

She nearly always takes the bus to work.

not nearly

There isn't nearly enough food for everyone.

nearly there

Keep going; we're nearly there.

Synonyms and how they differ

almost

Very similar to 'nearly' and often interchangeable, but 'almost' is slightly more formal and can be used in some fixed phrases like 'almost never'.

about

Can mean 'approximately' when talking about numbers, but 'nearly' emphasizes that the full amount was not reached.

practically

Means 'almost' but often suggests that the difference is so small it doesn't matter: 'practically finished'.

Opposites

Word family

near adjective

Not far away in distance or time.

nearness noun

The state of being close in distance or time.

Commonly confused: nearly or near?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “nearly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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