Meaning & use

nearly

adverb·Everyday

Almost, but not completely or exactly.

See it in a sentence

We nearly missed the flight because traffic was so heavy.

The project is nearly finished, with just the final report left to write.

A note on using this word

Placed before the word it modifies; "nearly all," "nearly finished," and "nearly fell" are typical patterns.

Words with a similar meaning

almostpractically

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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