marginal
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.very small in amount or effect; not very important.
adj.of minor importance, size, or effect; slight or insignificant.
Simple“The new law only made a marginal difference to the lives of most people.”
In context“The proposed changes to the tax code are expected to have only a marginal impact on the overall economy this fiscal year.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
adj.relating to or located at the edge or border of something.
adj.pertaining to or situated at a margin or border; peripheral.
Simple“The scientist made some marginal notes in the book while she was reading.”
In context“The study focuses on marginal land that is difficult to farm because it sits on the edge of the desert.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
adj.describing people or groups who are treated as unimportant and kept away from power.
adj.relating to groups or individuals excluded from the main social, economic, or political life of a community.
Simple“The charity works with marginal groups who often struggle to find housing.”
In context“Sociologists argue that marginal communities often develop unique cultural identities as a response to their exclusion from mainstream society.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
adj.relating to the cost or benefit of producing or buying one more of something.
adj.relating to the change in total cost or revenue resulting from a one-unit increase in production or consumption.
Simple“The marginal cost of making one extra phone is actually very low.”
In context“In a perfectly competitive market, firms continue to produce until the marginal cost equals the marginal revenue.”
Synonyms - 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describing a seat in parliament that was won by a very small number of votes.
adj.referring to a constituency or seat held by a very small majority, making it vulnerable to a change in party control.
Simple“The prime minister visited several marginal seats during the final week of the election.”
In context“The party focused its advertising budget on marginal constituencies where a shift of just a few hundred votes could determine the outcome.”
- 06 C1 Advanced
n.a voting area that could easily change which party it supports.
n.a constituency or electoral district won by a narrow margin, often targeted by political parties during campaigns.
Simple“If the government loses this marginal, they might lose the whole election.”
In context“Political analysts are closely watching the urban marginals, as these seats often serve as bellwethers for national voting trends.”
Synonymsswing seatbattlegroundAntonymssafe seat
Usage marginal effect
“But CRA contends it was really employment income and should be fully taxable at Canada’s top marginal rate — meaning Tavares owes over $6.8 million plus $1.2 million in interest.”
“He was motivated to write "Disposable Workers," he says, because marginal workers have been significantly overlooked.”
Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin marginālis, equivalent to margin + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.