well-nigh
1well-nigh — O.E. wel neah, from WELL (Cf. well) (adv.) + NIGH (Cf. nigh) …
2Well-nigh — adv. Almost; nearly. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] …
3well-nigh — adv old fashioned almost ▪ It will be well nigh impossible to raise that amount of money …
4well-nigh — adverb INFORMAL nearly but not completely: It would be well nigh impossible to get there in less than an hour …
5well-nigh — meaning ‘nearly, almost wholly or entirely’, has been in continuous use since the Old English period but is now usually regarded as literary or archaic in tone: • If your country is the size of a postage stamp, your population is unsophisticated… …
6well-nigh — *nearly, almost, approximately …
7well-nigh — well′ nigh′ adv. very nearly; almost • Etymology: bef. 1150 …
8well-nigh — ► ADVERB chiefly literary ▪ almost …
9well-nigh — [wel′nī′] adv. very nearly; almost …
10well-nigh — also well nigh ADV: ADV adj Well nigh means almost, but not completely or exactly. Finding a rug that s just the colour, size and price you want can be well nigh impossible. ...a hierarchical structure that was well nigh unassailable. Syn:… …
