marginally

American

[mahr-juh-nl-ee] / ˈmɑr dʒə nl i /

adverb

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.
at a barely adequate level.

The shelter offers shower and laundry facilities for homeless and marginally housed adults.
in the margin of a page.

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

Derived 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.

Limited progress has been made in the last 3½ years, with a marginally lower number of homeless people.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

Tinder is the most visited dating app, but over the past three years usage has been dropping and it's now only marginally ahead of nearest competitor Hinge.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Even not including those years, the index’s historical performance was only marginally higher — an average gain of 0.006%.

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

Sentiment rebounded marginally this month, though remained near multiyear lows, as companies adapted to the energy shock prompted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

With so many marginally qualified climbers flocking to Everest these days, a lot of people believe that a tragedy of this magnitude was overdue.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023