near small

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "near small" is not correct and does not convey a clear meaning in written English.
It may be intended to describe something that is close to being small, but it lacks clarity and specificity. Example: "The object was near small, but it was difficult to determine its exact size."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

34 human-written examples

The new 911 isn't a big car, and the perfectly stitched interior is still an intimate space, but it's nowhere near small.

The New York Times

A quarter of the country's population continues to live in or very near small towns.The real issue, then, is not whether such communities will survive, but whether they can prosper.

The Economist

Shake out your spattering hairAnd sprawl beside me here,Sharing what we can shareNow that we are so near— Small talk and speechless love,Mine being all but dumbThat knows so little ofWhat goddess you become And still half-seem to be,Though close and clear you lie,Whom droplets of the seaEmboss and magnify.

The New Yorker

To IT, this seemed relatively marginal in terms of their control of the corporate infrastructure; mobile devices were nowhere near small or secure enough to have much impact, and laptops could be controlled via Notes replication and ActiveX sandboxing of company workflow and data.

TechCrunch

This to a cinema lover is nowhere near small or understated, by any stretch of the imagination.

Huffington Post

This graph is then processed by a fast graph-kernel technique called NSPDK, recently introduced by Costa and Grave (2010), which extracts as explicit features, the occurrence counts of all the possible pairs of near small neighborhood subgraphs.

Bioinformatics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

26 human-written examples

'You are 20 minutes from the nearest small town, Peterborough.

The Guardian - Music

The brothers are farmers living on the Colorado plains, 17 miles from the nearest small town.

The Guardian - Books

It is 25 minutes to the nearest small town, and two hours to the nearest place with good shopping.

The Economist

My nearest small grocery has a dreary-looking hummock of shallots that squats next to the bananas and newspapers.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

She told them their girls could one day ride a scooter all the way to the nearest small town.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Replace the phrase "near small" with more grammatically correct alternatives like "close to small" or "almost small" to ensure clarity and avoid confusion.

Common error

Avoid placing "near" directly before "small" as it disrupts the typical adjective order in English. Instead, use "close to small" or "almost small" to maintain proper grammatical flow and enhance readability.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "near small" primarily functions as a descriptor, attempting to indicate proximity to something that is small in size. However, its grammatical structure is unconventional. Ludwig AI notes that the phrase is not considered correct in written English.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "near small" appears in various contexts, it is grammatically questionable. As Ludwig AI points out, it does not convey a clear meaning in written English and is therefore considered incorrect. Its primary function is to describe proximity to something small, but it is better to use grammatically correct alternatives like "close to small" or "almost small" to ensure clarity. While some reputable sources use the phrase, such as The New York Times and The Guardian, it is still best practice to avoid it in formal writing. Although, according to the usage patterns, it shows up with higher frequency in "News & Media" and "Science" articles.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

close to small

More grammatically sound and directly indicates proximity to something of a small size.

almost small

Indicates that something is only slightly larger than being small.

adjacent to small

Emphasizes the physical adjacency to a small object or area.

in proximity to small

A more formal way of saying "close to small".

next to something small

Specifies being immediately beside a small item.

nearby small

Indicates a general closeness to something small.

bordering on small

Suggests a size that is very close to the threshold of being considered small.

verging on small

Similar to 'bordering on small', implying a shift towards being small.

approaching small

Highlights the dynamic process of becoming small or closer to small size.

on the verge of small

Emphasizes that the entity is just about to be considered small.

FAQs

How can I use the idea of "near small" correctly in a sentence?

Instead of "near small", try rephrasing your sentence to use alternatives like "close to small" or "almost small" for better grammatical accuracy and clarity.

What's the difference between "near small" and "close to small"?

"Near small" is grammatically awkward. "Close to small" is a more standard and understandable way to describe something that is in proximity to something small.

Is "near small" ever considered grammatically acceptable?

While some instances of "near small" can be found, they are often considered grammatically incorrect or at least awkward. It's better to use more standard alternatives to ensure clear communication.

What are some other ways to express something is 'not quite small' besides "near small"?

Alternatives include "almost small", "approaching small", or "verging on small", which offer more precise and grammatically correct ways to convey the intended meaning.