as in narrow
showing little difference in the standing of the competitors
a hairbreadth victory, but a victory nevertheless
Synonyms & Similar Words
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variants
or hairsbreadth
as in inch
a very small distance or degree
just missed the bull's-eye by a hairbreadth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hairbreadth
Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022
That mad quest for immortality is only one thread in an intricate narrative that encompasses witchcraft, impossible transformations, hairbreadth escapes, killer clowns and an assortment of innovative murders.
—Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2021
Nancy Pelosi will have a hairbreadth four-vote majority in the House with two seats still undecided.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 17 Dec. 2020
The hairbreadth outcome in the race belied its sweeping consequences.
—Author: Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Mar. 2018
Kirk Semple and Marina Franco, New York Times, 4 June 2017
The year closed with the hairbreadth victory of a law-and-order Presidential nominee whose Southern strategy of racial politicking remade the electoral map.
—Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2017
Adjective
In the end, Cuellar and his corporate backers carried the day (one marked also by the Uvalde school massacre), albeit by a hairbreadth margin.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022
That mad quest for immortality is only one thread in an intricate narrative that encompasses witchcraft, impossible transformations, hairbreadth escapes, killer clowns and an assortment of innovative murders.
—Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2021
Nancy Pelosi will have a hairbreadth four-vote majority in the House with two seats still undecided.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 17 Dec. 2020
The hairbreadth outcome in the race belied its sweeping consequences.
—Author: Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Mar. 2018
Noun
Should the electoral officials’ math hold up, the hairbreadth victory is likely to provide only limited comfort to Mr. del Mazo’s party.
—Kirk Semple and Marina Franco, New York Times, 4 June 2017
The year closed with the hairbreadth victory of a law-and-order Presidential nominee whose Southern strategy of racial politicking remade the electoral map.
—Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hairbreadth
Adjective
-
British India faced Soviet Central Asia across the Wakhan Corridor, a strip of Afghanistan only eleven miles wide at its narrowest points, which in 1893 had been designated the buffer zone between the Russian and British Empires.—
Dorothy Armstrong
June 18,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2025
-
This is due to the narrow percentage of Black filmmakers who have been given the space to make and distribute films for theatrical release.—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are possible in the warned area.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
25 June 2025
-
Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
The likelihood of lightning increases as a thunderstorm gets closer and reaches its highest point when the storm is directly overhead.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 June 2025
-
The championship is Oklahoma City’s first since relocating from Seattle in 2008; for the Pacers, close wasn’t good enough for their second straight season with a strong playoff run before falling to the eventual NBA champs.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
The difference for the Red Sox ace is his offense does not score for him like the likes of these other top arms.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
-
The Red Sox ace delivered exactly the kind of performance the club needed, shutting out the Angels over seven dominant innings.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
While the team enjoys the moment, the entrepreneurs may be planning five steps ahead.—
Phil Portman,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
After the league added a team in San Francisco this season, with expansion teams planned for Portland and Toronto, some see Baltimore as a natural next step.—
Timothy Dashiell,
Baltimore Sun,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
The waterless, weightless spray lays smooth on the hair but provides a strong hold without making strands look crunchy.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
25 June 2025
-
The formula is lightweight, and has vitamin C plus milk thistle to gently and effectively soften and protect the hair and scalp from UV rays.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
This cooling neck gaiter protects your neck from getting a sunburn.—
Robin Raven,
Travel + Leisure,
26 June 2025
-
That randomness is supposed to simulate Arbus’ most famous method of finding her subjects: wandering the kaleidoscopic streets of New York with a camera strapped around her neck.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hairbreadth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hairbreadth. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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