marginally

[ mahr-juh-nl-ee ]

adverb

1. by a minimal, insignificant, or almost insufficient amount:

   This student routinely submits work of substandard or marginally acceptable quality.

   Pork exports in May were marginally higher compared with the previous year.

2. at a barely adequate level:

   The shelter offers shower and laundry facilities for homeless and marginally housed adults.

3. in the margin of a page:

   It is obvious that Jack London read these books, as they are marked, underlined, and marginally annotated.

4. on the border of something:

   On the wings of butterflies, marginally located contrastive markings create false edges, helping to decrease detection by predators.

Other Words From

• su·per·mar·gin·al·ly adverb
• trans·mar·gin·al·ly adverb
• un·mar·gin·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of marginally¹

marginal ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

We have also talked about solutions - both the ones that marginally worked and the ones that failed miserably - here, here and here.

From BBC

But the populist president never lost his base, at first largely white and working class but growing marginally more diverse over time.

From Los Angeles Times

The consensus seems to be it will be good for batting for the first part of the game, making the toss marginally less important than the second Test.

From BBC

The figure has fallen marginally from the May to July period, but it remains at close to a decade-high after rising during the pandemic.

From BBC

Efforts in April by Biden administration officials to force Israel to step up aid were only marginally successful.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• kind of
• lightly
• somewhat