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Synonyms

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.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of marginally

marginal ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Cobbled-together Hormuz flows and even a fully restored East-West pipeline would only marginally help the availability of fuels like gasoline and diesel.

From MarketWatch Sep. 17, 2026

RBC Capital Markets marginally raised its price target for the stock from $256 to $260.

From MarketWatch Aug. 27, 2026

Northern Ireland is in the middle of the pack overall with real disposable income per person of £22,258, marginally below the north west of England.

From BBC Aug. 21, 2026

Expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike were pared back following the U.S. inflation data, as July consumer prices rose only marginally from June, say ANZ Research analysts in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 13, 2026

Lazlo had only marginally more experience with cake than Sarai did, so this was one of the things they made up between them “however they liked.”

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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