narrow

/ˈnɛroʊ/

/ˈnærəʊ/

Other forms: narrowed; narrower; narrowing; narrows; narrowest

Narrow means less wide or to make less wide. When you narrow down your choices, you decrease the number of choices. A road might be too narrow for a car.

When used to describe something physical such as a street or hips, narrow simply means not wide. Similarly, with quantities it means not much like when you win your basketball game by a narrow margin. But if you use it to describe an attitude, it has the negative meaning of not wide or open enough. If you're narrow-minded, you don't see the big picture –– sometimes it means you think in narrow stereotypes.

Definitions of narrow

1. adjective

   not wide
   “a narrow bridge”

   “a narrow line across the page”

   synonyms:

   blinkered, narrow-minded

   lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view

   limited

   small in range or scope

   thin

   of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section

   constricting, constrictive, narrowing

   (of circumstances) tending to constrict freedom

   narrowed

   reduced in size as by squeezing together

   narrow-mouthed

   having a narrow mouth

   slender, thin

   very narrow

   strait

   narrow

   straplike

   long and narrow like a strap

   narrowing, tapered, tapering

   becoming gradually narrower

   antonyms:

   wide

   having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

   comprehensive, overarching

   including all or everything

   thick

   not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions

   beamy

   broad in the beam

   bird's-eye, panoramic

   as from an altitude or distance

   broad-brimmed

   (of hats) having a broad brim

   deep

   extending relatively far inward

   fanlike

   resembling a fan

   sweeping

   taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination

   wide-screen

   (motion pictures) projected on a screen with much greater width than height
2. adjective

   limited in size or scope
   “the narrow sense of a word”

   synonyms:

   limited

   small in range or scope
3. adjective

   very limited in degree
   “won by a narrow margin”

   “a narrow escape”

   synonyms:

   bare, marginal

   just barely adequate or within a lower limit

   antonyms:

   wide

   great in degree

   comfortable

   more than adequate
4. verb

   make or become more narrow or restricted
   “The selection was narrowed”

   “The road narrowed”

   synonyms: contract

   antonyms:

   widen

   become broader or wider or more extensive

   types:

   bottleneck

   become narrow, like a bottleneck

   taper off

   become smaller or less active

   type of:

   change

   undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
5. verb

   become tight or as if tight
   synonyms: constrict, constringe

   types:

   astringe

   become constricted or compressed

   strangulate

   become constricted

   type of:

   tighten

   become tight or tighter
6. verb

   define clearly
   “I cannot narrow down the rules for this game”

   synonyms: nail down, narrow down, peg down, pin down, specify

   types:

   concretise, concretize

   make something concrete

   type of:

   determine

   fix in scope; fix the boundaries of
7. verb

   become more focused on an area of activity or field of study
   synonyms: narrow down, specialise, specialize

   types:

   overspecialise, overspecialize

   become overly specialized

   type of:

   alter, change, vary

   become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
8. noun

   a narrow strait connecting two bodies of water
   examples:

   Verrazano Narrows

   a narrow channel of water separating Staten Island and Brooklyn

   type of:

   sound, strait

   a narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water
9. adjective

   characterized by painstaking care and detailed examination
   “a narrow scrutiny”

   synonyms: minute

   careful

   exercising caution or showing care or attention
10. adjective

    lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view
    “a brilliant but narrow-minded judge”

    “narrow opinions”

    synonyms: blinkered, narrow-minded

    close-minded, closed-minded

    not ready to receive to new ideas

    dogmatic, dogmatical

    characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles

    illiberal, intolerant

    narrow-minded about cherished opinions

    opinionated, opinionative, self-opinionated

    obstinate in your opinions

    petty, small-minded

    contemptibly narrow in outlook