Almost stripped man of nobility (4)
I believe the answer is:
earl
'man of nobility' is the definition.
'earl' can be an answer for 'nobility' (earl is a kind of nobility). I'm not sure about the 'man of' bit.
'almost stripped' is the wordplay.
'almost' becomes 'nearly' (synonyms).
'stripped' indicates the central letters (outside letters removed).
The centre of 'nearly' is 'EARL'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for earl that I've seen before include "Jimmy Carter's middle name" , "Husband of a countess" , "UK nobleman ranking between marquess and viscount" , "Real kind of English lord" , "British peer and Dublin street" .)