well-nigh
Americanadverb
adverb
Synonym Usage
See almost.
Etymology
Origin of well-nigh
before 1150; Middle English; Old English
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It may be well-nigh impossible to call yourself a Gen Xer without recognizing a chorus or two from, say, Poison’s greatest hits, but that was not by choice.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2025
"The biggest issue for a lot of people in the area, and us particularly, is achieving 182 days on a regular basis is well-nigh impossible."
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2023
And conversations in a crowded restaurant or bar become well-nigh unintelligible.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 26, 2022
The Endurance video is well-nigh Spielbergian, almost too wondrous, too exquisitely “art directed,” to be believed.
From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2022
The soil of a large proportion of the land planted to tobacco has been subjected to “cumulative and well-nigh permanent poisoning,” according to Dr. Satterlee.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
