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Definition of narrownext
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as in close
showing little difference in the standing of the competitors a narrow gubernatorial contest, the outcome of which may depend upon a handful of votes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in parochial
unwilling to grant other people social rights or to accept other viewpoints tried to convince the narrow members of her family that there are many paths to a successful career that don't involve getting a university degree

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

narrow

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noun

narrow

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verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of narrow
Adjective
The legislature instead passed a more narrow — and more legally endangered — bill that applies only to immigration agents. Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 15 May 2026 Several other similar observatories have come online since then to glimpse hundreds of additional events, but all this activity represents a narrow range of gravitational waves—those created when neutron stars or relatively small black holes collide. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
Noun
Many famed surf spots to the south — like Doheny, San Clemente and San Onofre — also have seen the beach narrow precipitously. James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026 Dutch parliamentary election tests ruling far-right party Dutch voters cast ballots today in a parliamentary election in which a far-right party that led opinion polls for months has seen its advantage narrow into a three-horse race. Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
Regulation should narrow allowable markets and treat them closer to gambling, with strict limits and disclosures. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026 On the ensuing corner kick, Banda scored for her sixth goal of the season to narrow the margin. ABC News, 2 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for narrow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrow
Adjective
  • Health experts are growing increasingly alarmed about the outbreak, arguing that cases have been spreading undetected as public health authorities are stretched thin.
    Lauren Weber, Washington Post, 18 May 2026
  • Few of the film’s ideas truly connect with one another, leaving its lead stars adrift in the process, forcing them to conjure three dimensional details from a script that, intentionally or otherwise, feels paper thin.
    Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Adjective
  • Eggs, sushi, and crypto The account paid attention to smaller stories, too.
    Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 16 May 2026
  • East is a boutique hotel, some condos, and a small residential neighborhood with a few local restaurants.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 May 2026
Adjective
  • Marettimo The most remote of the Egadi Islands, tiny Marettimo—accessible via ferry from Trapani—remains delightfully rustic thanks to its limited accessibility, near absence of cars, and lack of large hotels.
    Nicky Swallow, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2026
  • And while the state has seen strong GDP growth in recent months, business groups still worry that this economic success could be stifled by limited job growth and economic uncertainty in the wake of federal policy changes.
    P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2026
Adjective
  • Sources close to Canvot, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, have told The Athletic that the message from Glasner after that error was simple.
    Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 13 May 2026
  • López was one of the fiercest critics of then-Mayor Fúnez, a supporter of the mine and close ally of Honduras’ former president, Xiomara Castro.
    Marlon González, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Adjective
  • Distraught by life in the South, Reed figured that the only way to escape his parochial childhood was to write his way out.
    Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
  • Research shows the disparity between vaccination coverage in private and parochial/religious versus public schools is that private and parochial/religious schools tend to have higher rates of exemptions to vaccinations for moral and religious beliefs.
    Kar-Hai Chu, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Luckily, there are some natural ways to keep weeds at bay.
    David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
  • While not directly on the beach, Hotel LBI, in Ship Bottom, sits between the bay and the ocean, and is another great pick for a rooftop pool with more modern amenities.
    Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • Dwindling enrollment tightened the budget by $89 million halfway through this school year when the purse was already $100 million thinner than last school year.
    Natalie La Roche Pietri, Miami Herald, 16 May 2026
  • The best accommodations don’t last on the market for long, and by the time peak summer rolls around, availability tightens fast.
    Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 May 2026
Adjective
  • Anne loans it to the other (slender) girls in exchange for bars of soap or clothes coupons.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
  • The new snake species, which researchers have given the scientific name Calamaria incredibilis, measures at just under eight inches long, is non-venomous, and is identified by its slender, brown scales with seven dark stripes along its back.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Narrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrow. Accessed 19 May. 2026.

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