If you describe something as marginal, you mean that it is small or not very important.
This is a marginal improvement on October.
The role of the opposition party proved marginal.
Synonyms: insignificant, small, low, minor More Synonyms of marginal
2. adjective
If you describe people as marginal, you mean that they are not involved in the main events or developments in society because they are poor or have no power.
Andy Warhol made glamorous icons out of the most marginal people.
I don't want to call him marginal, but he's not a major character.
3. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
In political elections, a marginal seat or constituency is one which is usually won or lost by only a few votes, and is therefore of great interest to politicians and journalists.
[British]
...the views of voters in five marginal seats.
A marginal is a marginal seat.
[British]
The votes in the marginals are those that really count.
The coalition won a majority of the vote but failed to win enough of the key marginals.
4. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Marginal activities, costs, or taxes are not the main part of a business or an economic system, but often make the difference between its success or failure, and are therefore important to control.
[business]
Consumer electronics has become a marginal business for the group.
For low-paid workers, the marginal tax rate is at least 75%.
5. graded adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Marginal land is not very good for growing crops or grass for animals.
[technical]
...helping farmers, so they do not have to exploit marginal lands.
Synonyms: borderline, bordering, on the edge, peripheral More Synonyms of marginal
marginal in British English
(ˈmɑːdʒɪnəl)
adjective
1.
of, in, on, or constituting a margin
2.
close to a limit, esp a lower limit
marginal legal ability
3.
not considered central or important; insignificant; minor; small
4. economics
relating to goods or services produced and sold at the margin of profitability
marginal cost
5. politics, mainly British and New Zealand
of or designating a constituency in which elections tend to be won by small margins
a marginal seat
6.
designating agricultural land on the margin of cultivated zones
7. economics
relating to a small change in something, such as total cost, revenue, or consumer satisfaction
noun
8. politics, mainly British and New Zealand
a marginal constituency
Derived forms
marginality (ˌmɑːdʒɪˈnælɪtɪ)
noun
marginally (ˈmarginally)
adverb
marginal in American English
(ˈmɑrdʒənəl)
adjective
1.
written or printed in the margin of a page or sheet
2.
of or constituting a margin
3.
at, on, or close to the margin or border
4.
a.
close to a margin or limit, esp. a lower limit
a marginal standard of living
b.
limited; minimal
5. Economics
a.
on the border between being profitable and nonprofitable
a marginal business, marginal land
b.
of or from goods produced and sold at margin
marginal costs, marginal profits
Derived forms
marginality (ˌmarginˈality) (ˈmɑrdʒənˈæləti)
noun
marginally (ˈmarginally)
adverb
Word origin
ML marginalis
Examples of 'marginal' in a sentence
marginal
The party has not previously been tested in its marginal seats.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It is a marginal seat with the Conservatives in second place.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It was a marginal call, but neither side made a case for victory.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The results showed that older guys had an increased body temperature, but the figures seemed marginal to me.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
I and others who win marginal seats have to persuade people to switch from a different party to vote for us.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Selection remains critical and they should be rewarded at least as much as the coaches, whose day-to-day involvement can only have a marginal impact on results.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The marginal impact on our borrowing costs will be small to irrelevant.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Find a large parcel that has a good building site and some extra land of marginal value.
Christianity Today (2000)
It proved devastatingly effective in marginal seats.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In time the marginal benefits definitely outweighed the marginal costs.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
These calls are so marginal as to be a farce.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Much of it has been poured into key marginal seats.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The small business cannot afford to become marginal.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
That process has been going on for years and will make only a marginal impact.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
One reason is rising expectations and what economists call diminishing marginal utility.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The point at which the supplier becomes marginal varies from industry to industry.
Peter F. Drucker THE ESSENTIAL DRUCKER (2001)
Do we really want to wipe out an animal so that a few people can make a marginal improvement in farming profits?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They include limits on spending outside election campaigns to end the injection by parties of large sums into marginal seats between polls.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
But she became a marginal figure for the post-Soviet generation.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Each day the Times sketch writer profiles the closest marginals.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
When a firm is engaged in production, marginal costs and average costs will rise with output.
Maurice D. Levi International Finance: The markets and financial management of multinational business. (1983)
Each day the Times profiles one of the closest marginals.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
By this he means the end of environmental initiatives that restrict productivity and the removal of livestock from all but the most marginal land.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Instead, she is fighting the marginal constituency of Stourbridge.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Five key marginal gains Discovery that the layers of paint on the frame of the bike weigh over 100g.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He's one of those great marginal figures, speaking from a place where cinema crosses over with literature or theatre.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
marginal
British English: marginal ADJECTIVE
If you describe something as marginal, you mean that it is small or not very important.