as in slightly
by a very small margin
they narrowly escaped with their lives
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 narrowly
The bill narrowly failed in the Senate.
—
Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
Dash camera video captured the teen speeding away from the traffic stop and narrowly missing a deputy standing in the road.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Lawmakers there narrowly defeated a Venezuela war powers resolution 211-213 in December.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 6 Jan. 2026
Hope Florida then diverted the money to political committees that spent most of it supporting the governor’s campaign against the recreational marijuana initiative that narrowly failed in 2024.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Public institutions can legally establish restrictions on the time, place and manner of free expression as long as these restrictions are narrowly tailored.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 6 Jan. 2026
Coming off surgery on his left wrist in August 2024, Spieth narrowly missed out on advancing to the second FedEx Cup playoff event, which would have qualified him for the $20 million signature events.
—Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026
In the runoff, Newsom narrowly beat the Green candidate, Matt Gonzalez, who became a public defender.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
In 2024, Logsdon narrowly won reelection by a margin of around 400 votes.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
Dash camera video captured the teen speeding away from the traffic stop and narrowly missing a deputy standing in the road.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Lawmakers there narrowly defeated a Venezuela war powers resolution 211-213 in December.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 6 Jan. 2026
Hope Florida then diverted the money to political committees that spent most of it supporting the governor’s campaign against the recreational marijuana initiative that narrowly failed in 2024.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Public institutions can legally establish restrictions on the time, place and manner of free expression as long as these restrictions are narrowly tailored.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 6 Jan. 2026
Coming off surgery on his left wrist in August 2024, Spieth narrowly missed out on advancing to the second FedEx Cup playoff event, which would have qualified him for the $20 million signature events.
—Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026
In the runoff, Newsom narrowly beat the Green candidate, Matt Gonzalez, who became a public defender.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
In 2024, Logsdon narrowly won reelection by a margin of around 400 votes.
—Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for narrowly
Adverb
-
Start with a number that feels slightly uncomfortable and go up from there.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Mallama noted that satellites in the Amazon Leo constellation (which used to be known as Project Kuiper) are significantly dimmer than the BlueBirds and slightly fainter than most Starlink satellites, which orbit at a lower altitude of around 300 miles (480 km).—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Soft polymers stretch easily but generate little force, while stiffer ones produce force yet barely move.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Zayn turned his attention to Trick with a dive to the outside where Williams barely caught him.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Narrowly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/narrowly. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
