not nearly
idiom
: 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
That’s not nearly good enough for a program that openly aspires to compete for a national title.
—
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
Dairy cows contribute more than 10 percent of US methane emissions, a super-potent greenhouse gas, and their land use, while not nearly as great as that of beef farming, is still high, occupying land that could otherwise be freed up for carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
—Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 6 Mar. 2025
Amid the outcry, administration officials agreed to reverse some — but not nearly all — of the Park Service job cuts, The Times’ Jack Dolan reports.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2025
While not nearly as gaudy, last fall’s WNBA Finals also set a record.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not nearly
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.
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
Dairy cows contribute more than 10 percent of US methane emissions, a super-potent greenhouse gas, and their land use, while not nearly as great as that of beef farming, is still high, occupying land that could otherwise be freed up for carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
—Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 6 Mar. 2025
Amid the outcry, administration officials agreed to reverse some — but not nearly all — of the Park Service job cuts, The Times’ Jack Dolan reports.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2025
While not nearly as gaudy, last fall’s WNBA Finals also set a record.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not nearly
Cite this Entry
“Not nearly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20nearly. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share