nearly all

/ˈnɪərli ɔːl/

almost everyone or everything

Nearly all the students passed the exam.

Almost every student passed the exam.

general

almost everyone or everything; the vast majority

Nearly all the guests arrived on time.

Almost all the guests arrived on time.

Nearly all the products are made in-house.

Almost all the products are manufactured in-house.

Used to indicate that only a very small portion is excluded from a group or category.

Collocations

very close to the entire amount or quantity

the largest part of a group or category

Use 'nearly all' to emphasize that only a very small portion is excluded from a group or category.

Use 'nearly all' when you want to indicate that only a very small portion is excluded, not when you mean 'some' or 'many'.

Derived from the combination of 'nearly' (meaning almost) and 'all' (meaning the whole amount or quantity).

This phrase is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts to emphasize that only a very small portion is excluded from a group or category.

nearly

almost

adverb

all

the whole amount or quantity

determiner

English Dictionary