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

“While growth continues to be driven by robust industrial production, marginally stronger-than-expected retail sales and a surprise turnaround in fixed assets investment injected some optimism to China’s outlook,” she says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Treasury yields declined in Asian trade, while ultralong Treasury yields are marginally higher, as investors sought clarity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Starboard wants this unit to expand into “adjacent, and marginally lower-credit tiers.”

From Barron's

US stocks are marginally lower, while European and Japanese benchmarks have fallen more sharply amid Strait of Hormuz disruptions.

From Barron's

Borenstein said he didn’t expect that the new state oil production would do much to lower gas prices because it is only marginally cheaper than oil imported by ocean tankers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• kind of
• lightly
• somewhat