marginal

/ˈmɑrdʒɪnəl/
noun
  1. A person who is not part of the mainstream or who is on the edge of a group or society.
    • In many societies, marginals struggle to have their voices heard.
    • The artist was considered a marginal by the traditional art world.
    • The novel tells the story of a marginal living on the outskirts of the city.
  2. A constituency or seat in an election that is likely to be won by a small majority.
    • The candidate focused her campaign on winning marginals.
    • The election result in that marginal was too close to call.
    • Both parties spent heavily on advertising in the marginals.
adjective
  1. Small in importance, amount, or effect; not central or significant.
    • The change in the recipe made only a marginal difference in taste.
    • The team's performance showed marginal improvement after the new training.
    • He received a marginal increase in his allowance this month.
  2. Relating to the edge or border of something.
    • The marginal areas of the garden get less sunlight.
    • She wrote comments in the marginal space of the page.
    • Marginal notes in the textbook helped explain the main ideas.
  3. In economics or business, relating to the additional cost or benefit of producing one more unit of something.
    • Marginal profit decreases when production exceeds demand.
    • Economists analyze marginal utility to understand consumer choices.
    • The company studied the marginal cost of producing each extra toy.
  4. Describing a person or group that is not fully part of mainstream society or is on the edge of a system.
    • The program helps marginal communities gain access to education.
    • He felt marginal in the group because his ideas were often ignored.
    • Marginal workers often have less job security.
What does "marginal" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean