almost

[awl-mohst, awl-mohst]

adverb

1. very nearly; all but.

   almost every house; almost the entire symphony; to pay almost nothing for a car; almost twice as many books.

almost

/ ˈɔːlməʊst /

adverb

1. little short of being; very nearly

Usage

See most.

Word History and Origins

Origin of almost¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English almost, almast, almest, Old English eall(e) mǣst “nearly all”

Synonym Study

Almost, most, nearly, well-nigh all mean within a small degree of or short space of. Almost implies very little short of: almost exhausted; almost home. Most is colloquial for almost. Nearly implies a slightly greater distance or degree than almost : nearly well; nearly to the city. Well-nigh, a more literary word, implies a barely appreciable distance or extent: well-nigh forgotten; well-nigh home.

Example Sentences

Financial experts almost unanimously agree that the bailout is too late to save Milei, and not nearly enough.

From Salon

Berkeley, as Aptheker describes it, was still caught in the tail end of the McCarthyism of the 1950s, when the 1st Amendment was almost felled by fear of government reprisals.

From Los Angeles Times

In China, the world's biggest car market, sales of such cars accounted for almost half of overall sales last year, according to the IEA, and they are expected to become the majority this year.

From BBC

And queuing is almost synonymous with British culture.

From BBC

It is still early days in Jeglertz's tenure and only five games into the WSL season - but that is almost a quarter of the way through the campaign in a 12-team league.

From BBC

Related Words

• about 
• approximately 
• around 
• essentially 
• most 
• much 
• practically 
• relatively 
• roughly 
• virtually