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

A 2024 study by the University of West London found almost 60% of separated or divorced parents questioned seemed to have faced parental alienating behaviours.

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Northern Ireland's health trusts spent almost £22m in a single year on restricted procedures which should only be carried out in very specific circumstances, according to the auditor general.

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Two thirds of them also gave us data on the ages and genders of children involved - and those figures revealed that almost 80% of offences were carried out by boys, the vast majority teenagers.

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The number of Liberal Democrat party members has almost halved in the last five years, according to BBC analysis of available figures.

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In the charred ruins that look almost Roman, yet these buildings stood only a year ago.

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Related Words

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