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 certain of the 'man of' bit.
'almost stripped' is the wordplay.
'almost' becomes 'nearly' (synonyms).
'stripped' says to take the centre (outside letters removed).
The middle 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" .)