Narrowly
ˈnærəʊli
Definitions
2 meaningsIn a way that just barely succeeds or is almost not the case; with little margin.
ˈnærəʊli
In a way that just barely succeeds or is almost not the case.
The runner narrowly missed breaking the world record.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're trying to catch a bus and you *narrowly* make it, just before the doors close! It means you barely did it, by a tiny bit.
👶 For kids: When something almost happens, but not quite! Like when you almost fall but catch yourself.
More Examples
The car narrowly avoided hitting the pedestrian.
The company narrowly avoided bankruptcy.
How It's Used
"The team narrowly won the match."
"The bill was narrowly passed by the Senate."
"She narrowly escaped the accident."
In a limited or restricted way; with attention to a small range.
ˈnærəʊli
In a limited or restricted way; not widely.
He was looking narrowly at the clues.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're looking through a telescope, you're seeing things *narrowly*, focusing on only a specific thing and not everything at once!
👶 For kids: When you look at something super close, like with a magnifying glass, you're seeing it narrowly.
More Examples
The investigation was carried out narrowly.
The company focuses narrowly on a specific target market.
How It's Used
"The company focuses narrowly on a specific niche market."
"The study narrowly examined the effects of the drug."
From "narrow" + "-ly". "Narrow" derives from Old English "nearu" (narrow, close). The adverbial suffix "-ly" indicates a manner or way.
The word "narrowly" and its base word "narrow" have a long history, appearing in English texts from early periods. The use of the adverb reflects the evolution of language to describe specific degrees of action or conditions.
Memory tip
Think of a tight squeeze: you *narrowly* fit through.
Word Origin
"narrow, close"