nigh

[ nahy ]

/ naɪ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR nigh ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

near in space, time, or relation: The time draws nigh.

nearly; almost; (often followed by on or onto): nigh onto twenty years.

adjective, nigh·er, nigh·est.

near; approaching: Evening is nigh.

short or direct: to take the nighest route.

(of an animal or vehicle) being on the left side: to be astride the nigh horse.

Archaic. parsimonious; stingy.

preposition

near.

verb (used with or without object)

Archaic. to approach.

Origin of nigh

before 900; Middle English nigh(e), neye, Old English nēah, nēh, cognate with Dutch na, German nahe, Old Norse nā-, Gothic nehw, nehwa; cf. near, next

OTHER WORDS FROM nigh

un·nigh, adjective

Words nearby nigh

nigger, nigger heaven, nigger of the narcissus, the, niggle, niggling, nigh, night, night and day, night blindness, night bolt, night coach

Example sentences from the Web for nigh

Three quarters of those people believe the end of the world is nigh.

The Evangelical Apocalypse Is All Your Fault |Jay Michaelson |January 4, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Naturally, this has doomsayers preaching that the end is nigh.

Best of the ‘Blood Moon’ |The Daily Beast Video |October 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Replacing the bread in a sandwich with fried meat makes me worry the apocalypse is nigh.

Doc Says No to Soylent |Russell Saunders |May 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
We pulled every string we could for nigh on a year and a half.

Can You Paint Like Johannes Vermeer, Too? |Andrew Romano |December 6, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

It has used that rage mostly effectively for nigh on 50 years now, since Barry Goldwater.

The Day the Mad Dogs Took Over the Republican Party |Michael Tomasky |October 11, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Makes me nigh get that way myself, every time I recall—Whist!

Dorothy at Oak Knowe |Evelyn Raymond
Perhaps, indeed, the end of time is nigh, and we shall witness that fall of the old world with which others threaten us.

The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete |Emile Zola
A long hour had nigh elapsed, and the watchers were grown weary.

Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 (of 2) |John Roby
"The poor crathur's nigh murthered wid him intirely," said a countrywoman from the street.

The Struggles of Brown, Jones, and Robinson |Anthony Trollope
And fear'st thou not the fiery host of Greece, Thy foes implacable, so nigh at hand?

The Iliad of Homer |Homer

British Dictionary definitions for nigh

nigh

/ (naɪ) /

adjective, adverb, preposition

an archaic, poetic, or dialect word for near

Word Origin for nigh

Old English nēah, nēh; related to German nah, Old Frisian nei. Compare near, next

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

nigh

adverb

adjective, nigh·er, nigh·est.

preposition

verb (used with or without object)

Origin of nigh

OTHER WORDS FROM nigh

Words nearby nigh

Example sentences from the Web for nigh

British Dictionary definitions for nigh

adjective, adverb, preposition

Word Origin for nigh

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

nigh

adverb

adjective, nigh·er, nigh·est.

preposition

verb (used with or without object)

Origin of nigh

OTHER WORDS FROM nigh

Words nearby nigh

Words related to nigh

Example sentences from the Web for nigh

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for nigh

adjective, adverb, preposition

Word Origin for nigh

British Dictionary definitions for nigh