NARROWING Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

narrowing

verb

present participle of narrow

as in tightening

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrowing

Verb

Wizman said yields at these levels are not themselves unusual, particularly because they are not being accompanied by extreme inflation expectations or an aggressively tightening Fed.

— Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
The recommendations include limiting the retention of data collected by license plate readers and other sources to seven days, further tightening the 21-day limit set in the new law.

— Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of tightening

Verb

House lawmakers have introduced a slew of new bills this month aimed at lessening the impact of gas and fuel prices on Americans' budgets, including floating a tax deduction.

— CJ Haddad, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
This choice to comply, however, could potentially open discussions between the Clippers and the NBA about lessening the discipline.

— Matt Schubert, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of lessening

Verb

In addition, casualties are disproportionately concentrated in rural areas, and the lack of fuel is impeding the harvest.

— Regina Smyth, The Conversation, 16 Sep. 2026
Materials such as Nafion can densely surround catalysts at the nanoscale, impeding the rapid transport of protons to reaction sites.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of impeding

Verb

But researchers say the best way to drive down energy prices at home is to end the Iran war, not limiting exports.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
Or any guardrails limiting the number of positions that will inevitably be cut when Paramount merges Paramount+ with HBO Max as the company had said.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of limiting

Verb

The behaviors run the full range, from tiny tweaks like stashing the phone across the room, killing pointless notifications and blocking off screen-free stretches, all the way to full-day commitments to unplug.

— Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026
Asked by the judge how the settlement addresses the state AGs’ concerns over competition, as outlined in its antitrust case, Blizzard said the reasoning was that the states were wary about permanently blocking the Paramount-WBD deal.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of blocking

Verb

However, in a person with PCD, those threadlike structures can beat abnormally, hindering airway clearance and contributing to recurrent respiratory infections.

— Molly Finlay, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026
The motion helpfully offers an example of how a hindering information document could have been properly written.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of hindering

Verb

Davis was unable to hear my questions, which required me to hold them up to the screen, hampering back-and-forth response.

— Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
Birds visiting the feeder can get the goo on their wings, hampering their ability to fly and possibly leading to their untimely deaths.

— Joan Morris, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of hampering

Verb

Since then, according to Jonathan Friedman, who serves as the director of PEN America’s free-expression program, few schools have gone further than Texas Tech in restricting speech and academic freedom on campus.

— Benjamin Wofford, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Compression, either by WRAP devices or many officers piling on to someone restricting air flow, are the most common police deaths after shootings, Obayashi said.

— Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of restricting

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.

Cite this Entry

Style

“Narrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrowing. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of narrowing

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

argot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes