nearlyadverb
uk/ˈnɪə.li/us/ˈnɪr.li/A2 almost, or not completely:
It's been nearly three months since my last haircut.
I've nearly finished that book you lent me.
She's nearly as tall as her father now.
They'd eaten nearly everything.
It was so funny - we nearly died laughing.
not nearly as/so
C1 a lot less:
She's not nearly as beautiful as you said she was.
My cold isn't nearly so bad as it was.
not nearly enough
much less than you want or need:
There's not nearly enough food for all these people!
More examples
- The under-18s constitute nearly 25% of the town's population.
- Customs officers have seized nearly a ton of heroin destined for New York.
- I'm nearly ready - just give me a couple of minutes.
- It was such a hassle trying to get my bank account changed that I nearly gave up.
- They were finally reconciled with each other, after not speaking for nearly five years.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Almost
- about
- almost
- as good as idiom
- as much as idiom
- be on the way to sth idiom
- inch
- intent
- more
- more or less idiom
- much
- near
- near
- scant
- strike
- sub
- that was close! idiom
- the best/better part of idiom
- to/for all intents and purposes idiom
- virtual
- way
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Yes, no & not
Scarce, inadequate and not enough