Etimology
From Middle English almost, from Old English eallmǣst (“nearly all, almost, for the most part”), equivalent to al- (“all”) + most.
adverb
almost (not comparable)
Very close to, but not quite.
(mathematics) Up to, except for a negligible set (where negligible is not universally but contextually defined).
Examples
Synonym: environ
Almost all people went there.
We almost missed the train.
Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.
This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.
Eustace gaped at him in amazement. When his urbanity dropped away from him, as now, he had an innocence of expression which was almost infantile. It was as if the world had never touched him at all.
In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […] The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra-wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised.
almost all
almost no
almost everywhere
almost nowhere
almost certain
almost sure
Related words
synonyms
(very close to, but not quite): nearly, nigh, well-nigh, near, close to, next to, practically, virtually, not yet, not
noun
almost (plural almosts)
(informal) Something or someone that doesn't quite make it.
Examples
In all the submissions, they found four papers that were clearly worth publishing and another dozen almosts.