"Hairsbreadth" is easy to understand but rare enough to really catch your listener's attention. It's perfect for labeling some microscopic margin or barely discernible degree.

And unlike snappier little synonyms like "wit," "jot," "iota," and "heartbeat," the word "hairsbreadth" is so weighed down with consonants that it takes a while to say—which really helps you slow down and focus attention on your idea. 

You might talk about people winning or losing something by a hairsbreadth, or catching or missing something by a hairsbreadth, or coming within a hairsbreadth of doing something.

If you like, you can use "hairsbreadth" as an adjective and talk about hairsbreadth misses, successes, failures, etc. That's a bit rare, so it's great for emphasis. Here's the LA Times: "'Tito' is jammed with... action, adventure and hairsbreadth escapes."

"Sagan won the race by a hairsbreadth with some deft sprinting at the finish line." 
— Robin Sheeran, BBC, 7 April 2018

"[The] Cuban Missile Crisis [was] when the world came within a hairsbreadth of nuclear incineration."
— Michael Clare, Salon, 1 November 2018

has this page helped you understand "hairsbreadth"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "hairsbreadth" without saying "trace" or "iota."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "I came within a hairsbreadth of (taking some major step or drastic action) (at some point)."

Example 1: "We came within a hairsbreadth of moving to New England last year."

Example 2: "[At our hospital's emergency department], we did come within a hairsbreadth of triaging patients last year." 
— Dr. Brad Spellberg, as quoted by Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II, and Marissa Evans, LA Times, 10 January 2022

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Eddie Izzardisms!"

Consider a quote from Eddie Izzard's delightful stand-up comedy, and decide which of three given terms you can most easily connect it to. You can see my suggested answer by scrolling to the bottom of the issue. But yours doesn't need to match mine. 

Try this one today:

"So then there was the Greek, Socrates, he was great... He invented questioning. Before Socrates, no questioning. Everyone sort of went, 'Yeah, I suppose so.'"

Tractable, palatable, or companionable?

review this word:

1. Generally speaking, the opposite of a HAIRSBREADTH could be

A. a JOT.
B. a MILE.
C. a SLOG.

2. According to Maureen Corrigan, in novels by Denise Mina, "criminal and cop are _____."

A. intertwined by a hairsbreadth of fate
B. separated only by a hairsbreadth of circumstance
C. destined to chase after the hairsbreadth of the American Dream

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. B From the game, here's a suggested answer: I'd go with tractable, a good word for folks who require very little persuasion.

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.