marginally

American  

[mahr-juh-nl-ee] / ˈmɑr dʒə nl i /

adverb

1. by a minimal, insignificant, or almost insufficient amount.

   This student routinely submits work of substandard or marginally acceptable quality.

   Pork exports in May were marginally higher compared with the previous year.

2. at a barely adequate level.

   The shelter offers shower and laundry facilities for homeless and marginally housed adults.

3. in the margin of a page.

   It is obvious that Jack London read these books, as they are marked, underlined, and marginally annotated.

4. on the border of something.

   On the wings of butterflies, marginally located contrastive markings create false edges, helping to decrease detection by predators.

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Other Word Forms

• supermarginally adverb
• transmarginally adverb
• unmarginally adverb

Etymology

Origin of marginally

marginal ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Morgan Stanley, for its part, sees European bonds as marginally more attractive than U.S. bonds, and the financial sector as more attractive than other sectors.

From Barron's

Drivers agree that it was marginally better in the first year of the regulations, 2022, but has become increasingly worse ever since.

From BBC

Americans are still worried about inflation and the broader state of the economy, but they are growing marginally more confident that inflation won’t get worse.

From Barron's

Treasury yields traded marginally lower as investors took a cautious stance ahead of ADP employment and ISM services data.

From The Wall Street Journal

Maresca is picking marginally older players this season, with an average starting XI age of 24 years and 169 days, but they remain the fourth-youngest team in Europe's big five leagues.

From BBC

Related Words

• kind of
• lightly
• somewhat