narrowly succeeding

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "narrowly succeeding" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where someone or something achieves success, but only just barely or with difficulty. Example: "After months of hard work and dedication, the team was narrowly succeeding in meeting their project deadline."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

Electronic eavesdropping also triggered controversy on Tuesday in New Zealand, where the government narrowly succeeded in passing legislation obliging telecoms firms to give the country's security agencies access to their networks.

The Guardian

CHICAGO — The fierce struggle among Republicans over whether to make Medicaid available to more low-income people played out in Michigan on Tuesday as the Republican governor, Rick Snyder, narrowly succeeded in swaying enough conservative senators in the State Legislature to accept the expansion, which was part of President Obama's health care law.

The New York Times

Collins succeeds, narrowly.

The Guardian - Books

Assange probably breathed a sigh of relief on April 2, 2017, when Correa's handpicked successor, Lenín Moreno, was narrowly elected to succeed him in the presidency.

The Washington Post

He was elected to the State House at 25, the State Senate at 29 and to the House of Representatives at 33, succeeding as a candidate in the district where he narrowly failed as a campaign manager.

The New York Times

As such, in the current manuscript our intention is to acknowledge that experiments and quasi-experiments have an important place in educational research but also to argue that the results from such research are often narrowly focused and rarely succeed in providing answers to larger questions that are most relevant to the policy making process.

Large-scale Assessments in Education

Wade somehow succeeds (occasionally only narrowly) in writing about writing without self-indulgence.

The Guardian

How unlikely was it that something so narrowly cast early on would succeed on such a global scale?

Harvard University

Mr. Douglas-Fairhurst's "Becoming Dickens" turns out to be a considerably more revealing and groundbreaking study, which succeeds by focusing, narrowly, on the early years in Dickens's career as a writer in the 1830s when he was trying "to come to terms with the events that had made him into the person he was, and to work out what kind of writer he might yet become".

The New York Times - Books

Researchers found intense pressure to succeed, coupled with narrowly defined ideals about what youths should be, namely academically and athletically exceptional.

University of Chicago

Tensions have been heightened by August's election which was won narrowly by the incumbent, Ali Bongo, who succeeded his father in 2009.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "narrowly succeeding" to convey that success was achieved by a slim margin, often implying difficulty or a close call. This adds nuance and specificity to your writing.

Common error

While grammatically correct, "narrowly succeeding" might sound less sophisticated in very formal writing. Consider alternatives like "achieving marginal success" or "succeeding with minimal advantage" for a more polished tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "narrowly succeeding" functions as an adverbial modifier describing the manner in which an action (succeeding) is performed. It indicates that the success was achieved by a small margin or with difficulty, adding detail about how the success occurred.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Academia

33%

Science

33%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "narrowly succeeding" is a grammatically correct way to describe achieving a goal by a slim margin or with difficulty. Ludwig AI validates its usability in written English. Although its occurrence is relatively rare, it appears across various contexts, including news, academia, and science. While it is generally neutral in tone, consider more formal alternatives for high-level academic or professional writing to convey greater sophistication. This makes it a valuable addition to one's vocabulary for precise and nuanced expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

barely succeeding

Replaces "narrowly" with "barely", emphasizing the minimal margin of success.

scarcely succeeding

Similar to "barely succeeding", highlighting the slim chance of success.

just managing to succeed

Uses a more descriptive phrase to convey the difficulty involved in succeeding.

only just succeeding

Emphasizes that the success was achieved by the smallest possible margin.

succeeding by a hair's breadth

An idiomatic expression indicating a very close margin of success.

succeeding by the skin of one's teeth

Another idiomatic expression emphasizing a near failure before succeeding.

succeeding with difficulty

Focuses on the effort and challenges involved in achieving success.

succeeding against the odds

Highlights that success was achieved despite unfavorable circumstances.

managing to scrape through

Informal phrase suggesting a minimal passing or success.

squeaking through to success

Suggests a tight or uncomfortable path to achieving the goal.

FAQs

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

You can use "narrowly succeeding" to describe a situation where someone barely achieves a goal, such as, "The team was "narrowly succeeding" in meeting its quarterly targets despite the economic downturn."

What are some alternatives to saying "narrowly succeeding"?

Alternatives include "barely succeeding", "just managing to succeed", or "scarcely succeeding", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is "narrowly succeeding" formal or informal?

"Narrowly succeeding" is generally considered neutral in tone and can be used in both formal and informal contexts, though more formal alternatives might be preferred in some situations.

What does it mean when something is described as "narrowly succeeding"?

It means that the subject achieved success, but only by a small margin or with considerable difficulty. It implies that failure was a distinct possibility.