not nearly

phrase

: much less than : not at all
There's not nearly enough flour for a cake here.
It's not nearly as late as I thought it was.

Examples of not nearly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Although significant, this is not nearly enough to rebuild the country after over a decade of civil war. — Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026 The vaping industry says the technology saves lives and the cartridges are not nearly as bad a blight as cigarette butts. — Susanne Rust follow, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 At this point, Caedan Wallace and Andrew Meyer are Miami’s top backups, and that’s not nearly good enough to survive 17 games. — Omar Kelly august 24, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026 But there are not nearly enough of these preceptors willing to take on students — and that threatens to choke off a supply of medical professionals the country urgently needs. — Colleen Connolly, STAT, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for not nearly

Rhymes for not nearly

See All Rhymes for not nearly

Browse Nearby Words

not much to look at
not nearly
not necessarily
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Not nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20nearly. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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