marginal

/'mɑ:dʤinl/

Thân thiện

The company's marginal profit barely covers its operating costs.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or situated at the edge or margin of something: "marginal" describes something that is located at the border, fringe, or outer limit.
   • Of minimal importance or significance; borderline: "marginal" indicates something that is barely adequate, minimal, or of low quality, often just meeting a threshold.
   • Producing at a rate that barely covers costs: In economics, "marginal" refers to a situation where the output or revenue is just sufficient to cover the expenses of production.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • She made some marginal notes in her textbook. (She wrote notes at the edge of the page.)
  • The team won by a marginal victory of just two points. (The team's win was very narrow and barely achieved.)
  • The land was so poor it was only marginal for farming. (The land was of such low quality that farming on it was barely profitable or possible.)

Advanced Usage

• "marginal cost": In economics, the cost of producing one additional unit of a good.

  • The company analyzed the marginal cost before increasing production.

• "marginal seat": In politics, a constituency where elections are typically won by a very small margin.

  • The candidate focused her campaign on several key marginal seats.

• "marginal utility": In economics, the additional satisfaction or benefit gained from consuming one more unit of a good or service.

  • The concept of diminishing marginal utility explains why the first slice of pizza is more satisfying than the fifth.

Variants and Related Words

• Marginally (adverb): to a very limited extent; barely.

  • The new treatment is only marginally more effective.

• Marginalia (noun): notes written in the margins of a text.

  • The scholar studied the author's marginalia for insights.

• Marginalize (verb): to treat a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral.

  • Policies should not marginalize minority communities.

Synonyms

• Borderline: on the edge of acceptability.
• Minimal: of a minimum amount, quantity, or degree.
• Negligible: so small or unimportant as to be not worth considering.
• Peripheral: relating to or situated on the edge.

Antonyms

• Central: of the greatest importance; principal or essential.
• Substantial: of considerable importance, size, or worth.
• Core: the central or most important part.

Related Phrases

• On the margins: existing at the edge of a group or activity, not fully integrated.

  • Some artists feel they exist on the margins of the mainstream art world.

• A marginal call: a decision that is very close or could easily have gone the other way.

  • The referee's decision was a marginal call that angered the fans.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. producing at a rate that barely covers production costs
   • marginal industries
2. just barely adequate or within a lower limit
   • a bare majority
   • a marginal victory
3. of questionable or minimal quality
   • borderline grades
   • marginal writing ability
4. at or constituting a border or edge
   • the marginal strip of beach

Từ đồng nghĩa

• bare
• borderline
• fringy