narrow

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈnæɹ.oʊ/ UK /ˈnæɹ.əʊ/ See IPA manual

Freq #4923

Meanings

1

adj
Small in width; not wide.

We drove carefully along the narrow mountain road.
2

adj
Limited in range, scope, or amount.

She won the election by a narrow margin.
3

verb
To make or become smaller in width or scope.

They narrowed the list of candidates down to three.
4

adj
Unwilling to accept other people's ideas or ways; narrow-minded.

His narrow view of the world made debate difficult.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · limited in range, scope, or... limited

3 verb · to make or become smaller... narrow downreduce

4 adj · unwilling to accept other... narrow-minded

More close filamentous fine slender slim strait taper thin tight

Opposites

broad wide

Word family

Forms narrowednarrowernarrowestnarrowingnarrows

Derived forms narrow-cutnarrow-fistednarrow-gagenarrow-gaugenarrow-guttednarrow-mindednarrow-sightednarrow-soulednarrow-spectrumnarrowablenarrowbandnarrowboat

Related forms narrowly narrowness

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

narrow street
a street that is not wide

Adjective + noun
narrow win
a victory achieved by a very small margin

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English narow, narowe, narewe, narwe, naru, from Old English nearu (“narrow, strait, confined, constricted, not spacious, limited, petty; limited, poor, restricted; oppressive, causing anxiety (of that which restricts free action of body or mind), causing or accompanied by difficulty, hardship, oppressive; oppressed, not having free action; strict, severe”), from Proto-West Germanic *naru, from Proto-Germanic *narwaz (“constricted, narrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ner- (“to turn, bend, twist, constrict”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian naar, noar, noor, nåår (“narrow”),…

*(s)ner- Proto-Indo-European narow Middle English nearu Old English *naru Proto-West Germanic *narwaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# narrow

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈnæɹ.oʊ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈnæɹ.əʊ/
**Frequency rank:** 4923

## Meanings
1. Small in width; not wide.
2. Limited in range, scope, or amount.
3. To make or become smaller in width or scope.
4. Unwilling to accept other people's ideas or ways; narrow-minded.

## Examples
- We drove carefully along the narrow mountain road.
- She won the election by a narrow margin.
- They narrowed the list of candidates down to three.
- His narrow view of the world made debate difficult.

## Synonyms
- close
- filamentous
- fine
- slender
- slim
- strait
- taper
- thin
- tight

## Antonyms
- broad
- wide

## Derived Forms
- narrow-cut
- narrow-fisted
- narrow-gage
- narrow-gauge
- narrow-gutted
- narrow-minded
- narrow-sighted
- narrow-souled
- narrow-spectrum
- narrowable
- narrowband
- narrowboat

## Related Forms
- narrowly
- narrowness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)ner-
- Root: narow
- Root: nearu
- Root: *naru
- Root: *narwaz

## Etymology
From Middle English narow, narowe, narewe, narwe, naru, from Old English nearu (“narrow, strait, confined, constricted, not spacious, limited, petty; limited, poor, restricted; oppressive, causing anxiety (of that which restricts free action of body or mind), causing or accompanied by difficulty, hardship, oppressive; oppressed, not having free action; strict, severe”), from Proto-West Germanic *naru, from Proto-Germanic *narwaz (“constricted, narrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ner- (“to turn, bend, twist, constrict”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian naar, noar, noor, nåår (“narrow”),…

## AI Etymology
Narrow comes from Middle English narow, narowe, narewe, narwe, naru, from Old English nearu (“narrow, strait, confined, constricted, not spacious, limited, petty; limited, poor, restricted; oppressive, causing anxiety (of that which restricts free action of body or mind), causing or accompanied by difficulty, hardship, oppressive; oppressed, not having free action; strict, severe”), from Proto-West Germanic *naru, from Proto-Germanic *narwaz (“constricted, narrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ner- (“to turn, bend, twist, constrict”). In present-day English its meanings include small in width; not wide, limited in range, scope, or amount, and to make or become smaller in width or scope. The historical chain runs through *(s)ner- (Proto-Indo-European), narow (Middle English), nearu (Old English), *naru (Proto-West Germanic), and *narwaz (Proto-Germanic).

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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