narrowly
gb/nˈɛɹoʊli/ us/nˈɛɹoʊli/
B2
Engleză
~ 9100
Sensuri
0 sensuri
adverb
B2
property
1
by a very small amount
Almost not; by only a very small amount of time, distance, or difference.
Tipar de utilizare:
[someone] narrowly [verb]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse "narrowly" with "rarely" (not often) or "nearly" (almost). "Narrowly" is used when something happens or does not happen by a very small amount (time, distance, points, etc.). Also, the adverb usually comes before the verb in this sense ("narrowly missed"), not after it ("missed narrowly" sounds unnatural in many contexts).
Sinonime
barely (Very close in meaning; slightly more informal and common in speech.)
|
by a hair (Idiomatic and informal; emphasizes how extremely close the result was.)
Antonime
easily (Suggests something happened with no difficulty or risk, the opposite of happening by a small margin.)
|
comfortably (Suggests a large margin of safety or success rather than a very small one.)
Colocații
narrowly escape
|narrowly avoid
|narrowly miss
|narrowly win
|narrowly survive
|narrowly defeat
Teme
daily life
|safety
|sports
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- She narrowly missed the last train home.
- The team narrowly won the final by one point.
- We narrowly escaped injury when the tree fell.
- The company narrowly avoided bankruptcy after securing a new investor.
- He narrowly survived the accident thanks to his seat belt.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- I narrowly caught the bus this morning.
- They narrowly lost the game by one goal.
- We narrowly avoided a car crash.
- She narrowly passed the exam.
- The bird narrowly missed the window.
adverb
C1
property
2
in a limited or restricted way
In a way that is not wide or full; looking at only a few parts of something.
Tipar de utilizare:
[someone] thinks narrowly about [something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may mix this sense with the "small margin" sense and try to use it with time or distance (e.g., *"we narrowly time the project"*). In this meaning, "narrowly" describes how someone thinks, defines, or interprets something, not how close something was to happening.
Sinonime
restrictively (More formal; often used in legal or policy language.)
|
in a limited way (Longer, more explicit paraphrase; slightly less natural in fast speech.)
Antonime
broadly (Describes considering many aspects or a wide range, the opposite of a limited view.)
|
open-mindedly (Focuses on being willing to consider many ideas, contrasting with a narrow way of thinking.)
Colocații
think narrowly
|define narrowly
|interpret narrowly
|view narrowly
|judge narrowly
Teme
thinking
|education
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- The problem has been too narrowly defined as a financial issue.
- He tends to think narrowly about success, focusing only on money.
- The law was narrowly interpreted by the court, excluding many potential cases.
- If we look at the data too narrowly, we will miss important trends.
- Their policy narrowly targets short-term gains instead of long-term stability.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- She thinks too narrowly about her future.
- The teacher says we are looking too narrowly at this topic.
- The rule is narrowly written and does not fit all cases.
- He narrowly defines success as having a big salary.
- We should not judge the project too narrowly.
unknown
formal
C1
property
3
more specifically, within a larger topic
Used to say you are now talking about a smaller, more exact part of a bigger subject.
Tipar de utilizare:
more narrowly, [clause]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes use this formal, discourse-marking sense in casual speech where it sounds unnatural, or they omit "more" and write "narrowly" alone in places where native speakers usually say "more narrowly" or "in a narrower sense".
Sinonime
more specifically (Very close in meaning; more common in general formal writing.)
|
in a narrower sense (Slightly longer and more explicit; typical in academic or philosophical contexts.)
Antonime
more broadly (Introduces a wider, less specific view, the opposite of moving to a narrower focus.)
Colocații
more narrowly
|more narrowly defined as
|understood more narrowly as
Teme
academia
|writing
|discussion
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- The project aims to improve public health, or, more narrowly, to reduce childhood obesity.
- The course covers European history, and, more narrowly, the politics of the twentieth century.
- The term is often used loosely, but here it is understood more narrowly as referring only to digital media.
- We are interested in language change, and, more narrowly, in changes in spoken English.
- The report examines climate change, focusing narrowly on its economic impacts.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The book is about animals, and more narrowly, about birds.
- We study art, and more narrowly, modern art.
- The program helps students, and more narrowly, students who are new to the country.
- The class looks at culture, and more narrowly, at music and film.
- The project is about health, and more narrowly, about food and exercise.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
narrowly
IPA
GB/nˈɛɹoʊli/
US/nˈɛɹoʊli/
Silabe și accent
nar - rowly (2 silabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (nar)
Forme ale cuvântului
Noun
- Base: narrowly
- Plural: narrowlies
Familie de cuvinte
Expresii
common phrase
1/kˈɑmən fɹˈeɪz/
fixed phrase
win by a small margin
To win a game, race, or contest by only a very small number of points, votes, or time.
Exemple
- The home team narrowly won the championship final.
- She narrowly won the election by just 300 votes.
- Our side narrowly won the debate competition.
narrowly avoid
1/nˈɛɹoʊli əvˈɔɪd/
fixed phrase
prevent something bad, just in time
To stop something bad from happening, but only just in time or by a very small amount.
Exemple
- The driver narrowly avoided a collision with the truck.
- We narrowly avoided a major mistake in the report.
- The city narrowly avoided a power outage during the heat wave.
narrowly escape
1/nˈɛɹoʊli ɪskˈeɪp/
fixed phrase
avoid danger by a small margin
To get away from danger or something very bad, but almost not get away.
Exemple
- They narrowly escaped when the building caught fire.
- The hikers narrowly escaped a serious storm in the mountains.
- She narrowly escaped injury thanks to the quick action of a passerby.
narrowly miss
1/nˈɛɹoʊli mˈɪs/
fixed phrase
fail by a very small amount
To not hit, reach, or get something, but be very close to doing it.
Exemple
- The ball narrowly missed the goal.
- He narrowly missed the promotion this year.
- We narrowly missed catching the earlier flight.