nearly

Compared meaning: not quite, but very close to (adverb).

比较义项：几乎、差不多（副词）。

• nearly 本词

  The plain, neutral way to say 'not quite'; common before adjectives or verbs in both everyday speech and writing, with no special emphasis.

  nearly 是表达“还差一点”最普通、最中性的说法，常用在形容词或动词前，口语和书面语中都很常见，语气上没有特别强调。

  We were nearly late for the important meeting.

  那场重要会议我们差点就迟到了。

• almost

  The most common and flexible choice; it can modify verbs, adjectives, numbers, and even negative words like 'never' or 'nobody', unlike nearly.

  almost 是最常用、最灵活的词，可以修饰动词、形容词、数字，甚至像 never、nobody 这样的否定词，而 nearly 很少这样用。

  We are almost finished with the big school project.

  这个大型学校项目我们差不多做完了。

• virtually

  Stronger than nearly or almost: it implies the remaining difference is so small it doesn't matter in practice, and sounds more formal, often with 'identical' or 'impossible'.

  virtually 语气比 nearly、almost 更强，暗示剩下的差别小到在实际中可以忽略不计，语气也更正式，常与 identical、impossible 等词搭配。

  The two designs look virtually identical to most people.

  在大多数人看来，这两个设计几乎一模一样。

• near

  As this adverb, it sits right before an adjective (near empty, near perfect) or appears in fixed phrases like 'nowhere near'; it rarely modifies a verb alone and sounds more informal or journalistic.

  near 作这个意义的副词时，通常直接放在形容词前（near empty、near perfect）或用在 nowhere near 这类固定说法里，很少单独修饰动词，语气比其他几个词更随意、更像新闻用语。

  The stadium was near empty by the time we left.

  我们离开的时候，体育场几乎空无一人。

Nearly, almost, virtually, and near all mean not quite, but very close. Nearly and almost are the most common and neutral. Almost is the most flexible. Virtually is stronger and more formal; the gap barely matters. Near sits before an adjective, as in near empty.

这几个词在“几乎、差不多”这个意义上很接近，但语气强弱、正式程度和用法搭配有所不同：nearly 和 almost 最常见、最中性，virtually 语气更强、更正式，near 多用在形容词前的固定说法中，语气较随意。这里不比较 near 表示“靠近、临近”（距离上的“近”）的用法。