narrowly
/ˈnær.oʊ.li/adverb★Intermediate
formalinformal
By a very small margin; almost not succeeding or failing
The car narrowly avoided the collision.
The team narrowly won the championship.
💡
Often used to describe close calls or near misses in various contexts.
Collocations
narrowly escapeto barely avoid a dangerous situationnarrowly winto win by a very small margin
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related Phrases
narrow escapephrase
a situation where someone barely avoids danger
💡Pro Tip
Usage Tip
Use 'narrowly' to emphasize how close something was to not happening or succeeding.
⚡Gold Rule
Grammar Rule
'Narrowly' is an adverb and typically modifies verbs to describe how an action was performed.
📖Word Origin
From Middle English 'narrowly,' from 'narrow' (Old English 'nearu') + '-ly' (adverbial suffix).
📝Usage Notes
Commonly used in both formal and informal contexts to describe situations where success or failure was very close.
Word Breakdown
narrow
small in width or extent
root-ly
adverbial suffix
suffixEnglish Dictionary