narrowband

adjective

nar·​row·​band ˈner-(ˌ)ō-ˌband How to pronounce narrowband (audio)
ˈna-(ˌ)rō-
: operating at, responsive to, or including a narrow range of frequencies

Examples of narrowband in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This was due to the exchange of narrowband licenses for broadband licenses. — Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 11 Feb. 2025 The telescope also uses ultra-narrowband filters designed to isolate faint light from hydrogen gas drifting between galaxies. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Mar. 2026 Bright-light therapy is standard care for seasonal affective disorder, and narrowband ultraviolet light remains a mainstay for psoriasis. — Lynne Peeples, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026 The institute said the team identified nearly 74 million narrowband signals, but ultimately traced them back to technology on the Earth’s surface or orbiting satellites. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2026 Brecher captured the ionized glow of the distant nebula using a Celestron 14-inch EDGE HD telescope with a monochrome astronomy camera fitted with a series of narrowband filters in the skies over the city of Guelph,Canada, from March 8-13, 2026. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of narrowband was in 1948

Rhymes for narrowband

See All Rhymes for narrowband

Browse Nearby Words

narrow
narrowband
narrow boat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Narrowband.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narrowband. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All