narrowly avoided

USAGE SUMMARY

"narrowly avoided" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when describing a situation in which someone or something almost experienced something negative, but managed to get away or prevent it from happening. For example: He narrowly avoided being hit by the car when he jumped out of the way just in time.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Each eventuality was narrowly avoided.

The New York Times

(Moran narrowly avoided being killed.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Roberts narrowly avoided being hanged.

The Guardian

Last month, Mr. Cherubin narrowly avoided eviction.

The New York Times

Mr. Lynch narrowly avoided an open shaft.

The New York Times

New Covenant narrowly avoided being closed last year.

The New York Times

Yet more heartbreak, in this case narrowly avoided.

Independent

Bovis narrowly avoided being indicted in that blaze.

The New York Times

America narrowly avoided an output fall in the second quarter.

The Economist

"We only narrowly avoided a catastrophe," said a firefighting source.

The Guardian

Residents said it narrowly avoided being hit by a bus.

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "narrowly avoided" to emphasize the imminence of a negative outcome and the fortunate circumstances that prevented it. This highlights the precariousness of the situation.

Common error

Avoid using "narrowly avoided" to describe situations where a positive outcome was nearly achieved. The phrase implies that what was avoided was negative; it doesn't make sense to say someone "narrowly avoided" winning the lottery.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "narrowly avoided" functions as a descriptive element within a sentence, modifying a verb or noun to indicate that a negative outcome was close to occurring but ultimately prevented. This usage aligns with examples provided by Ludwig, emphasizing near misses and fortunate escapes.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Wiki

10%

Science

5%

Less common in

Formal & Business

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "narrowly avoided" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase to describe a situation where a negative outcome was imminent but successfully averted. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's suitable for general use, with a prevalence in News & Media and other factual reporting contexts. When writing with "narrowly avoided", be sure to apply it to negative outcomes, as it's counterintuitive to use it for positive situations. Alternative phrasing includes "barely escaped" or "skirted disaster" to convey a similar meaning. Always aim to convey the imminence and precariousness with the phrase "narrowly avoided".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

barely escaped

Focuses on the act of escaping a dangerous situation by a small margin.

just managed to evade

Highlights the successful evasion of something undesirable with minimal margin.

skirted disaster

Emphasizes the close proximity to a catastrophic event.

averted by a hair's breadth

Uses a figurative expression to indicate a very small margin of avoidance.

managed to sidestep

Suggests a deliberate action to avoid something, with a sense of control.

dodged a bullet

An idiomatic expression emphasizing the avoidance of a potentially harmful situation.

escaped by the skin of one's teeth

Another idiomatic phrase that conveys a very close escape.

evaded by a whisker

Similar to 'hair's breadth,' this indicates a tiny margin of avoidance.

scarcely avoided

A more formal way to express a near miss.

came close to preventing

Shifts the focus to the act of preventing something from happening, almost failing in the attempt.

FAQs

How can I use "narrowly avoided" in a sentence?

Use "narrowly avoided" to describe a situation where someone or something almost experienced a negative outcome, but managed to prevent it. For example, "The company "narrowly avoided bankruptcy" after securing a last-minute loan."

What are some alternatives to "narrowly avoided"?

Depending on the context, you can use phrases like "barely escaped", "just managed to evade", or "skirted disaster" to convey a similar meaning.

Is it correct to say "narrowly avoided to"?

No, the correct usage is "narrowly avoided" followed by a noun or a gerund (verb ending in -ing). For example, "He "narrowly avoided a collision"" or "She "narrowly avoided falling"."

What's the difference between "narrowly avoided" and "successfully avoided"?

"Narrowly avoided" emphasizes that the negative outcome was very close to happening, highlighting the element of chance or difficulty in preventing it. "Successfully avoided" simply indicates that the negative outcome was prevented, without emphasizing the near miss.