adjective “marginal”
base form marginal (more/most)
- at or near the edge; not central; peripheral
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The city council is investing in parks located in marginal neighborhoods to encourage development.
- small or insignificant; not important
The software update brings only marginal improvements in performance, so users may not notice a difference.
- barely acceptable or adequate; close to a lower limit
His exam scores were marginal, and he barely passed the course.
- written in the margin of a page or book
She wrote marginal notes in her textbook to help her remember key concepts.
- (in economics) relating to the effect of a unit change in a variable
Economists study marginal cost to determine how adding one more unit of production affects overall expenses.
- (of land) not very productive; barely suitable for agriculture
The farmer struggled to grow crops on the marginal land due to poor soil quality.
- (UK, politics) relating to a constituency won by a small margin
The election campaign focused heavily on marginal seats that could swing the result.
noun “marginal”
singular marginal, plural marginals
- (UK) a constituency where elections are won by a small margin
The candidate campaigned extensively in the marginals to secure more votes.