narrowly
狭く
解説 Definition
narrowly は narrow（狭い）に由来する副詞で、狭く、かろうじて、わずかな差でという意味です。物理的な幅が狭い様子にも、勝敗や回避がぎりぎりである様子にも使われます。
In a physically restricted or tight manner, or by only a very small distance, amount, or margin. It commonly indicates that someone barely won, escaped, or avoided an event that almost happened.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
narrowly は形容詞 narrow「狭い」に副詞語尾 -ly を付けた形です。物理的に「狭く」だけでなく、余裕が細い一本の線しかないイメージから「かろうじて・わずかな差で」に広がります。narrowly win「辛勝する」、narrowly miss「間一髪で避ける」、narrowly escape「危うく逃れる」をまとまりで覚えましょう。
Build narrowly from narrow plus the adverb suffix -ly: narrow describes limited width, and narrowly describes how something happens. Extend the physical picture of a very thin space to a figurative margin with almost no room left. That makes narrowly won mean won by a tiny margin, while narrowly missed or narrowly escaped means the unwanted event came very close but did not happen. Learn these combinations as units. Barely often overlaps with narrowly, but narrowly is especially natural when the idea involves a close contest, a near collision, or a small margin between two outcomes.
例文
The path ran narrowly between two stone walls.
その小道は二つの石壁の間を狭く通っていました。
She narrowly won the final match.
彼女は決勝戦でわずかな差で勝ちました。
The car narrowly missed the tree.
その車は木にぶつかるのをかろうじて避けました。
narrowly の類義語・関連語
紛らわしい語
narrowly の語源・成り立ち Etymology
narrowly の中心は narrow で、古英語 nearu「幅が狭い・窮屈な」に由来し、-ly は「〜に」を作る接尾辞です。そこから「狭く」だけでなく「かろうじて」「際どく」の意味も生まれ、narrowness や narrow-minded も同系です。
Narrowly is formed from the adjective narrow and the adverb-forming suffix -ly. Narrow descends from Old English nearu, which described something confined, tight, or limited in width. The suffix -ly developed from Old English -lice and marks the manner in which an action occurs. The literal sense “in a narrow manner” led naturally to figurative uses involving a small margin, producing modern expressions such as narrowly win, narrowly escape, and narrowly miss.
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