narrow interpretation
Limited textual understanding
A narrow interpretation reads a text, rule, or statement strictly and literally, limiting its scope to the minimum meaning.
In law, a narrow interpretation applies a statute only to situations explicitly covered, declining to extend it by analogy or implication: The court took a narrow interpretation of the commerce clause.
Contrast with broad interpretation.
- strictRigorous, without flexibility
- hard lineRigid, inflexible policy stance
- literalMeaning exactly what's said
- to the letterWith complete exactness
- textbookAcademic subject manual
plain meaning · legalistic · rigid · constrained · tight · letter of the law · chapter and verse · purist · orthodox · restrictive · precise · fine print · confined · limited · four corners · dogmatic · pedantic · hair-splitting
- interpretationtranslation, interpreting, translating, construing, rendition
- legal interpretationoriginalism, plain meaning, textualism, textual analysis, legislative intent
narrow, interpretation, narrowly, narrowness, narrower, narrowest, narrowing, narrowed, interpret