US /ˈnɪɹli/ UK /ˈnɪəlɪ/
adv Freq #1502

Meanings

  1. 1
    adv

    Almost, but not completely or exactly.

    It took nearly three hours to get there.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adv · almost, but not completely... almost
Word family
Derived forms nearlinessnearly-deadnearlynessnearlywed

Etymology

From near + -ly. Cognate with Scots nerelie, neirlie (“nearly”). Compare also English nearling, nearlings.

Topics

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