narrowlyadverb
uk/ˈnær.əʊ.li/us/ˈner.oʊ.li/B2 only by a small amount:
She narrowly missed winning the race.
in a limited way:
a narrowly interpreted law
formal carefully or in a way that shows doubt:
The officer looked at him narrowly through half-closed eyes.
More examples
- The proposal to change the rules was narrowly defeated by 201 votes to 196.
- He narrowly escaped a fine.
- The plane narrowly avoided disaster when one of the engines cut out on take-off.
- The nationalists were narrowly beaten in the local election.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Merely and barely
- all
- all of sth idiom
- at a pinch idiom
- barely
- but
- by a whisker idiom
- by inches idiom
- hardly
- ill
- inch
- merely
- merest
- nothing
- nothing more than idiom
- only
- pinch
- scarce
- scarcely
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Range and limits
Cautious and vigilant