marginal

C1 · Advanced Academic

adj. relating to or located at the edge or border of something.

adj. pertaining to or situated at a margin or border; peripheral.

Español:marginal

“The scientist made some marginal notes in the book while she was reading.”

“The study focuses on marginal land that is difficult to farm because it sits on the edge of the desert.”

C1 · Advanced Sociology Academic

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.

“The charity works with marginal groups who often struggle to find housing.”

“Sociologists argue that marginal communities often develop unique cultural identities as a response to their exclusion from mainstream society.”

C1 · Advanced Economics Technical

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.

“The marginal cost of making one extra phone is actually very low.”

“In a perfectly competitive market, firms continue to produce until the marginal cost equals the marginal revenue.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Politics British English

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.

“The prime minister visited several marginal seats during the final week of the election.”

“The party focused its advertising budget on marginal constituencies where a shift of just a few hundred votes could determine the outcome.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Politics British English · Formal

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.

“If the government loses this marginal, they might lose the whole election.”

“Political analysts are closely watching the urban marginals, as these seats often serve as bellwethers for national voting trends.”