adv
narrowly
NA-roh-lee
adv
1
By a small margin; barely.
"She narrowly avoided being hit by the car."
"The team narrowly won the match in the final minute."
2
In a narrow, restrictive, or inflexible way.
"The rule was interpreted too narrowly by the committee."
How to Use Narrowly
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBy only a small margin, or in a restrictive/limited way.
Common pairings
narrowly avoid
narrowly missed
narrowly defined
Word Forms
more narrowly comparative, most narrowly superlative
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Etymology
From Middle English narowly, formed from narrow plus "-ly".