adjective Of, relating to, or located at or near a margin or edge; also figurative usages of location and margin (edge).
The marginal area at the edge of the salt-marsh has its own plants.
adjective Written in the margin of a book.
There were more marginal notes than text.
adjective Sharing a border; geographically adjacent.
Monmouthshire is a Welsh county marginal to England.
adjective Determined by a small margin; having a salient characteristic determined by a small margin. Of a value, or having a characteristic that is of a value, that is close to being unacceptable or leading to exclusion from a group or category.
His writing ability was marginal at best.
adjective Of a value, or having a characteristic that is of a value, that is close to being unacceptable or leading to exclusion from a group or category.
His writing ability was marginal at best.
adjective Barely productive.
He farmed his marginal land with difficulty.
adjective Subject to a change in sitting member with only a small change in voting behaviour, this usually being inferred from the small winning margin of the previous election.
In Bristol West, Labour had a majority of only 1,000, so the seat is considered highly marginal this time around.
adjective Pertaining to changes resulting from a unit increase in production or consumption of a good.