marginal [mahr-juh-nl] ExamplesWord Origin adjective
- pertaining to a margin.
- situated on the border or edge.
- at the outer or lower limits; minimal for requirements; almost insufficient: marginal subsistence; marginal ability.
- written or printed in the margin of a page: a marginal note.
- Sociology. marked by contact with disparate cultures, and acquiring some but not all the traits or values common to any one of them.
- Economics.
- selling goods at a price that just equals the additional cost of producing the last unit supplied.
- of or relating to goods produced and marketed at margin: marginal profits.
Origin of marginal First recorded in 1570–80, marginal is from the Medieval Latin word marginālis of, pertaining to an edge. See margin, -al1 Related formsmar·gin·al·i·ty, nounmar·gin·al·ly, adverbin·ter·mar·gi·nal, adjectivesu·per·mar·gin·al, adjectivesu·per·mar·gin·al·ly, adverbtrans·mar·gi·nal, adjectivetrans·mar·gi·nal·ly, adverbun·mar·gin·al, adjectiveun·mar·gin·al·ly, adverb Examples from the Web for marginality Contemporary Examples of marginality
It means to be all the things that the individuals he turns into storytellers on Snap naturally are, in all their marginality.
NPR’s Smooth-Talking Millennial Whisperer
Batya Ungar-Sargon
October 7, 2014
Now it is marginal – and what admiration it attracts, it attracts precisely because of its marginality.
David’s Book Club: Darkness At Noon
David Frum
August 26, 2012
A couple of weeks ago, Occupy Wall Street seemed destined for marginality.
Unions Join Occupy Wall Street
Michelle Goldberg
October 4, 2011
British Dictionary definitions for marginality marginal adjective
- of, in, on, or constituting a margin
- close to a limit, esp a lower limitmarginal legal ability
- not considered central or important; insignificant, minor, small
- economics relating to goods or services produced and sold at the margin of profitabilitymarginal cost
- politics, mainly British and NZ of or designating a constituency in which elections tend to be won by small marginsa marginal seat
- designating agricultural land on the margin of cultivated zones
- economics relating to a small change in something, such as total cost, revenue, or consumer satisfaction
noun
- politics, mainly British and NZ a marginal constituency
Derived Formsmarginality (ˌmɑːdʒɪˈnælɪtɪ), nounmarginally, adverb Word Origin and History for marginality n.
marginal adj.
1570s, “written on the margin,” from Medieval Latin marginalis, from Latin margo (see margin). Sense of “of little effect or importance” first recorded 1887. Related: Marginally.
marginality in Medicine marginal [mär′jə-nəl] adj.
- Of, relating to, located at, or constituting a margin, a border, or an edge.
- Marginally within a lower standard or limit of quality.
- Relating to or located at the fringe of consciousness.
Related formsmar′gin•al′i•ty (-jə-năl′ĭ-tē) n.