Meaning & Definition of Marginal in English

1. At or constituting a border or edge

• "The marginal strip of beach"

2. Of questionable or minimal quality

• "Borderline grades"

• "Marginal writing ability"

3. Just barely adequate or within a lower limit

• "A bare majority"

• "A marginal victory"

4. Producing at a rate that barely covers production costs

• "Marginal industries"