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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
But here, in the narrows of the canyon, where Temescal Creek tickled the roots of sycamores and cooled the air beneath the heavy branches of valley oaks, Young lighted up with the enthusiasm of an amateur botanist. Greg Goldin, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025 Secret Canyon Trail: The hike through Secret Canyon leads through a deeply forested ravine and some beautiful red rock narrows. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 18 Sep. 2024
Noun
The city has a plan to narrow the road on most of Northgate between Del Paso Boulevard and I-80 to one lane in each direction. Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 27 June 2025 The Justice Department did not seek a fast-track ruling on the legality of Trump’s order, focusing instead on narrowing the injunctions. Nik Popli, Time, 27 June 2025
Verb
Romero gave chase down a narrow alley where Biddle said Sartor turned and fired, striking Romero in the right arm. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2025 Furthermore, the definition of disabled is often too narrow: more than one third of non-working adults classified as able-bodied by SNAP report having a disability that impedes their ability to work. Emily Eisner, New York Daily News, 29 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for narrow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrow
Adjective
  • In a thin free agent class that’s getting thinner by the minute, there are Ehlers and Boeser (Mitch Marner is expected to go to Vegas, though Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the Leafs are rattling their sabers about potential tampering by the Golden Knights) at the top.
    Stephen Conroy, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
  • But rather than spreading resources thin to cast a wide net that lightly lifts production across the board, policymakers should focus their energy on restoring the production capacity of sectors critical to national security and Americans' health.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • The veteran would be a small upgrade in the outfield for the Padres.
    Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025
  • Those are the numbers for a 2.5-MW commercial-scale version, anyway; thus far, the idea has only been tested at smaller scale.
    Loz Blain June 30, New Atlas, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • There’s a lot riding on this Evita that’s costing north of $6 million for a 12-week limited run.
    Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 20 June 2025
  • With its future coverage options limited, Michigan State created a captive insurance company, Lysander Series, to provide general liability coverage.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 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
  • Bacon has served Nebraska in Congress since 2017, winning multiple competitive races in the state's 2nd Congressional District, an area that has seen increasingly close contests between Republicans and Democrats in recent election cycles.
    Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • In his quest for a definitive biography of Joyce as a cosmopolitan artist, above the parochial fray, Ellmann downplayed Joyce’s interest in politics.
    Eric Bulson, The Atlantic, 16 June 2025
  • Rather, Colbert won after knocking, by his count, on 20,000 doors, wearing out several pairs of size 15 shoes and putting parochial concerns, such as wildfire prevention, disaster preparedness and flood control, at the center of his campaign.
    Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • Here, those louvers help extract heat from the engine bay.
    Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 25 June 2025
  • The bay historically was not visited by this cetacean species.
    Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • Many in Iran and abroad now fear the country’s leadership – its pride and defenses wounded – may tighten its grip at home while adopting a much more hawkish stance in both domestic and foreign policy.
    Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 26 June 2025
  • The Trump Card would also arrive as many countries once favored by the wealthy — including Spain, Portugal and Italy — are tightening their investment-visa programs amid populist opposition and political backlash.
    Robert Frank, CNBC, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • Nolan Traoré, France An intriguing but very slender point guard, the 6-3 teenager should be a first-rounder.
    Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2025
  • Lively became mostly famous for, well, being Blake Lively: tall, slender, beautiful, and suspiciously perfect — a patron saint for the Instagram age.
    David Mack, Rolling Stone, 10 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Narrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrow. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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