marginal
adjective
mar·gin·al
| \ ˈmärj-nəl
, ˈmär-jə-nᵊl\
, ˈmär-jə-nᵊl\
Definition of marginal
1
: written or printed in the margin of a page or sheet
marginal notes
2a
: of, relating to, or situated at a margin or border
b
: not of central importance
regards violence as a marginal rather than a central problem
also
: limited in extent, significance, or stature
had only marginal success with the business
c(1)
: occupying the borderland of a relatively stable territorial or cultural area
marginal tribes
(2)
: characterized by the incorporation of habits and values from two divergent (see divergent sense 1) cultures and by incomplete assimilation (see assimilate entry 1 sense 2a) in either
the marginal cultural habits of new immigrant groups
(3)
: excluded from or existing outside the mainstream of society, a group, or a school of thought
marginal voters
3
: located at the fringe of consciousness
marginal sensations
4a
: close to the lower limit of qualification, acceptability, or function : barely exceeding the minimum requirements
a semiliterate person of marginal ability
b(1)
: having a character or capacity fitted to yield a supply of goods which when marketed at existing price levels will barely cover the cost of production
marginal land
(2)
: of, relating to, or derived from goods produced and marketed with such result
marginal profits
5
: relating to or being a function of a random variable that is obtained from a function of several random variables by integrating or summing over all possible values of the other variables
a marginal probability function
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Other Words from marginal
marginality
\ ˌmär-jə-ˈna-lə-tē
\
noun
\
noun
marginally
\ ˈmärj-nə-lē
, ˈmär-jə-nᵊl-ē \
adverb
, ˈmär-jə-nᵊl-ē \
adverb
Examples of marginal in a Sentence
There has been only a marginal improvement in her condition.
His reading and writing abilities are marginal.
Recent Examples on the Web
One man in a million can sing like Pavarotti, and the audience with which he was first bonded is now marginal and despised within the larger culture, which values commodified music that speaks en masse to audiences measured in the billions. — Philip Kennicott, Twin Cities, "Even opera lovers should grit their teeth and watch this mediocre Pavarotti film," 14 June 2019 The federal rate in the U.S. currently tops out at 20%, well below the top marginal rate of 37% on wages and salaries. — Laura Davison, Fortune, "Capital Gains: The Tax Biden Wants to Double and Trump Would Slash," 29 July 2019 In the wake of the war, both countries were taxing high incomes at marginal rates around 90%, and unions had secured unprecedented power. — David Kaiser, Time, "Donald Trump and Boris Johnson Rode the Same Wave Into Power. History Suggests the Parallels Won’t Stop There," 26 July 2019 Murphy, a Democrat, was seeking to raise additional revenue by increasing the top marginal rate paid by those making more than $1 million from 8.97 percent to 10.75 percent. — BostonGlobe.com, "Trump not boosted by strong American economy, poll finds," 2 July 2019 Digital platforms benefit from economies of scale because their software has almost no marginal cost for adding users. — Fortune, "Only Regulation Can Jump-start Competition in Big Tech," 16 July 2019 Buttigieg’s support from black voters has been marginal, according to early polls, and may have been further damaged by the fatal shooting of a black man by a white South Bend police officer last month. — Sara Burnett, chicagotribune.com, "Pete Buttigieg has money, but can he turn it into 2020 win?," 7 July 2019 The Central is so marginal, even the Pirates are hanging around. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: The Cincinnati Reds certainly have a shot in the underwhelming NL Central," 30 June 2019 Despite the overall drop, there were marginal increases in the number of youth and veterans who were homeless during the count. — USA TODAY, "Moon rocks, Misty of Chincoteague, Haiku Stairs: News from around our 50 states," 28 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'marginal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for marginal
marginal
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of marginal
: not very important
: very slight or small
: not included in the main part of society or of a group
See the full definition for marginal in the English Language Learners Dictionary
marginal
adjective
mar·gin·al
| \ ˈmärj-nəl, -ən-ᵊl
\
\
Medical Definition of marginal
1
: of, relating to, or situated at a margin or border
2
: located at the fringe of consciousness
marginal sensations
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