nearly
/ˈnɪɹli/
adverb
Core
1.adv.(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
“the job is (just) about done”
2.adv.in a close manner
“the two phenomena are intimately connected”
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nearly and neatly differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. nearly means “(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but”. neatly means “with neatness”. nearly is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈnɪɹli/
1.adv.(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
“the job is (just) about done”
2.adv.in a close manner
“the two phenomena are intimately connected”
/ˈnitli/
1.adv.with neatness
“she put the slippers under the bed neatly”
| nearly | neatly | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈnɪɹli/ | /ˈnitli/ |
| Said | NIR-lee | NEET-lee |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | adverb | adverb |
| Senses | 2 | 1 |
| How common | Core | Familiar |
| Synonyms | about, almost, most | none recorded |
Full entry for nearly · Full entry for neatly · More comparisons