nearly

/ˈnɪəli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈnɪrli/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈnir-lē/ (ame, mw)

nearly — adverb

1. very close to a particular state or result, without fully reaching it.

1.副詞A2
釋義

very close to a particular state or result, without fully reaching it.

例句

The train was nearly full when Asher found a seat near the door.

nearly + adjective (full)

By the time the ambulance arrived, the elderly woman had nearly lost consciousness.

nearly + past participle

同義詞
  • almost

    interchangeable in most positive contexts but 'almost' also works before negatives ('almost no one').

  • practically

    informal; often used to exaggerate how close something is ('practically finished' even when not quite).

  • virtually

    more formal; suggests something is effectively true even if not 100% technically true.

反義詞
  • completely

    the opposite end of the scale — fully reaching the state rather than approaching it.

  • entirely

    without any exception or shortfall.

文法句型

nearly + adjective

nearly + verb

nearly + enough + noun

用法筆記

Unlike 'almost', 'nearly' is rarely used before negative words like 'no', 'nobody', 'nothing', or 'never'. For those cases, use 'almost' instead (e.g., 'almost no one came').

常見錯誤

❌I have nearly no money left.
✅I have almost no money left.
💡'nearly' does not usually appear before negative words like 'no', 'never', or 'nobody'; use 'almost' in those positions.

2. used in negative comparisons to emphasize that one thing has a quality to a far

2.副詞B1
釋義

used in negative comparisons to emphasize that one thing has a quality to a far smaller degree than another thing.

例句

This year's sales figures are not nearly as high as last year's.

not nearly as + adjective + as

The second film was not nearly so entertaining as the first one.

同義詞
  • far from

    similar meaning but takes a different grammatical structure ('far from being as good').

  • nowhere near

    informal and more emphatic ('nowhere near as good').

  • nothing like

    informal; suggests a complete lack of similarity in degree.

文法句型

not nearly as/so + adjective/adverb + as

用法筆記

Always requires a preceding 'not'. The structure compares two things using 'as...as' (or 'so...as' in more formal British English). The second part of the comparison can be implied when the context is clear.

常見錯誤

❌This cake is nearly as good as that one.' (meaning it is worse)
✅This cake is not nearly as good as that one.
💡For the meaning of 'much less', you must include 'not'. Without 'not', 'nearly as good' means 'almost as good'.

3. used with 'enough' and a negative to say that the amount or degree of something

3.副詞B1
釋義

used with 'enough' and a negative to say that the amount or degree of something is far below what is necessary or expected.

例句

The charity received donations, but it was not nearly enough to cover the flood relief costs.

not nearly enough + to-infinitive

Tariro complained that the salary offered was not nearly enough for a family of four.

not nearly enough + for + noun phrase

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

not nearly enough + noun

not nearly enough + to-infinitive

not nearly enough + for + noun phrase

用法筆記

Always appears in negative form: 'not nearly enough'. Compare with sense 1, where 'nearly enough' (without 'not') means 'almost enough'. The difference in meaning is complete opposite depending on the presence of 'not'.

常見錯誤

❌The food was nearly enough for ten people.' (meaning almost enough)
✅The food was not nearly enough for ten people.
💡'nearly enough' alone means 'almost enough' (sense 1); add 'not' to express 'far too little' (sense 3). These are near-opposites.