had almost believed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had almost believed" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express a past state of mind where someone was close to accepting something as true but ultimately did not. Example: "She had almost believed his excuses until she found the evidence that contradicted them."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

But there, in the dark confessional, something had happened: Crystal had actually felt bad about not having been a virgin since she was sixteen, had almost believed that sex wasn't completely ordinary.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

I had almost begun to believe that I just had a low pain threshold and couldn't handle what normal women could.

The Guardian

"I waited for so long for this to happen I had almost ceased to believe in my chances of winning a Tour stage," said Voeckler.

The Guardian - Sport

In all but ending Finland's own hopes of progressing, the Ulstermen understand that they have raised expectations beyond anything they had almost dared to believe at this stage.

The Guardian - Sport

Wrinkles are such a frequent subject of TV ads that I had almost come to believe in the existence of an ointment that would make a prune look like a peach.

The Guardian - Opinion

Muhammad Hussain, a 39-year-old teacher, said two of his brothers had left for Australia in the past four years — one had almost certainly drowned, he believed; the other, who left four months ago, had still not sent news.

The New York Times

At this point, you may fear that they do not believe you at all and that you are pranking them; to pull off the prank, you have almost to believe that you are telling the truth.

WikiHow

At the time of Mr. Madoff's arrest in December, his customers believed they had almost $65 billion invested in their Madoff accounts.

The New York Times

"I thought he was an exemplary man, who had almost no distance between what he believed and what he was willing to do.

The New Yorker

The shooter, and an accomplice, had gone out in search of meth, and believed the Mustang had almost hit them.

Huffington Post

Instead, happiness frequently eludes these figures; so much so that they have almost ceased to believe in it.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

To reinforce a strong feeling of near certainty, follow "had almost believed" with a contrasting clause that clarifies why the belief was not fully embraced.

Common error

Avoid using "had almost believed" to describe current states. This phrase is specifically for past situations where a belief was nearly formed but didn't fully materialize.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had almost believed" functions as a verb phrase indicating a past conditional state. It expresses that someone was close to holding a belief but ultimately did not fully embrace it. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage in expressing a near-belief that didn't fully materialize.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

53%

Wiki

12%

Science

12%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "had almost believed" correctly conveys a past state of near-belief. While grammatically sound, as Ludwig AI confirms, it's not overly common, appearing primarily in news and media contexts. When using it, ensure you're accurately depicting a situation where someone was close to believing something but didn't fully commit. Related phrases like "had nearly believed" or "was on the verge of believing" can offer slight variations in meaning, as well.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had nearly believed

Replaces "almost" with "nearly", a direct synonym, maintaining the meaning.

had come close to believing

Substitutes "almost believed" with "come close to believing", emphasizing proximity to belief.

had practically believed

Uses "practically" instead of "almost", indicating a high degree of likelihood of belief.

had all but believed

Replaces "almost" with "all but", conveying near certainty of belief.

was on the verge of believing

Expresses being close to believing, highlighting the transition point.

was close to accepting as true

Focuses on accepting something as true, rather than just believing.

had been on the point of believing

Similar to being on the verge, but slightly more formal.

had been nearing belief

Highlights the process of approaching a state of belief.

had tentatively believed

Indicates a cautious or hesitant belief.

had half believed

Suggests a partial or incomplete belief.

FAQs

What does "had almost believed" mean?

It means someone was very close to believing something in the past, but ultimately didn't fully believe it or stopped believing it.

How can I use "had almost believed" in a sentence?

For example, "She "had almost believed" his lies until she found the evidence."

What can I say instead of "had almost believed"?

You could use phrases like "had nearly believed", "had come close to believing", or "was on the verge of believing" depending on the context.

What's the difference between "had almost believed" and "believed"?

"Believed" indicates a firm acceptance of something as true, while ""had almost believed"" suggests a tentative acceptance that was not fully realized or was later abandoned.