Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

marginal

[mahr-juh-nl]
See more synonyms for marginal on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. pertaining to a margin.
  2. situated on the border or edge.
  3. at the outer or lower limits; minimal for requirements; almost insufficient: marginal subsistence; marginal ability.
  4. written or printed in the margin of a page: a marginal note.
  5. Sociology. marked by contact with disparate cultures, and acquiring some but not all the traits or values common to any one of them.
  6. Economics.
    1. selling goods at a price that just equals the additional cost of producing the last unit supplied.
    2. of or relating to goods produced and marketed at margin: marginal profits.
Show More

Origin of marginal

First recorded in 1570–80, marginal is from the Medieval Latin word marginālis of, pertaining to an edge. See margin, -al1
Related formsmar·gin·al·i·ty, nounmar·gin·al·ly, adverbin·ter·mar·gi·nal, adjectivesu·per·mar·gin·al, adjectivesu·per·mar·gin·al·ly, adverbtrans·mar·gi·nal, adjectivetrans·mar·gi·nal·ly, adverbun·mar·gin·al, adjectiveun·mar·gin·al·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for marginality

Contemporary Examples

British Dictionary definitions for marginality

marginal

adjective
  1. of, in, on, or constituting a margin
  2. close to a limit, esp a lower limitmarginal legal ability
  3. not considered central or important; insignificant, minor, small
  4. economics relating to goods or services produced and sold at the margin of profitabilitymarginal cost
  5. politics, mainly British and NZ of or designating a constituency in which elections tend to be won by small marginsa marginal seat
  6. designating agricultural land on the margin of cultivated zones
  7. economics relating to a small change in something, such as total cost, revenue, or consumer satisfaction
Show More
noun
  1. politics, mainly British and NZ a marginal constituency
Show More
Derived Formsmarginality (ˌmɑːdʒɪˈnælɪtɪ), nounmarginally, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for marginality

n.

1849, from marginal + -ity.

Show More

marginal

adj.

1570s, "written on the margin," from Medieval Latin marginalis, from Latin margo (see margin). Sense of "of little effect or importance" first recorded 1887. Related: Marginally.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
marginality in Medicine

marginal

(mär′jə-nəl)
adj.
  1. Of, relating to, located at, or constituting a margin, a border, or an edge.
  2. Marginally within a lower standard or limit of quality.
  3. Relating to or located at the fringe of consciousness.
Show More
Related formsmar′gin•al′i•ty (-jə-năl′ĭ-tē) n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.