Almost a quarter premature (6)

I believe the answer is:

nearly

'almost' is the definition.
('nearly' can be a synonym of 'almost')

'a quarter premature' is the wordplay.
'a quarter' becomes 'n'.
'premature' becomes 'early' ('early' can be similar in meaning to 'premature').
'n'+'early'='NEARLY'

(Other definitions for nearly that I've seen before include "More or less" , "Almost, not quite" , "approximately" , "parsimoniously" , "Almost, well-nigh" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app