Marginal Meaning
/ˈmɑː.d͡ʒɪ.nəl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf, relating to, or located at or near a margin or edge; also figurative usages of location and margin (edge).
adjOf, relating to, or located at or near a margin or edge; also figurative usages of location and margin (edge)., Written in the margin of a book.
Sentence Examples
There is only a marginal difference between the two.
The Marginal Tietê expressway has two kilometres of traffic.
A marginal improvement in weather conditions
CEFR Practice Quiz
The candidate had only a ____ lead in the polls, so the race was still very close.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new policy had only a ____ effect on the company's overall profits, which was a bit disappointing.
Word Origin & History
Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin marginālis, equivalent to margin + -al.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The early pages had marginal notes most of which were lost when rats nibbled away the manuscript edges."
— 1999, R. I. Page, Introduction to English Runes, Boydell Press, page 198:
"In ‘battleground’ seats with the Conservatives, Liberal Democrat vote shares increased most in the most marginal seats."
— 2002, Andrew Geddes, Jonathan Tonge, Labour′s Second Landslide: The British General Election 2001, page 79:
"In Outer London, Harrow East is now a more marginal Labour hold than Harrow West."
— 2007, Robert Waller, Byron Criddle, The Almanac of British Politics, page 58:
"The pendulum lists the seats from least marginal to most marginal for the government on one side, and least marginal to most marginal for the opposition on the other side."
— 2010, Nick Economou, Zareh Ghazarian, Australian Politics For Dummies, unnumbered page:
"He justified his comment by noting that the Labour Party had quickly committed to delivering a high-speed Leeds-Manchester line, and argued that pressure would grow on the Government because there were several marginal parliamentary seats around Leeds and Bradford."
— 2021 December 1, “Network News: Integrated Rail Plan: Osborne predicts HS2 eastern leg will return”, in RAIL, number 945, page 8:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The candidate had only a ____ lead in the polls, so the race was still very close.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new policy had only a ____ effect on the company's overall profits, which was a bit disappointing.