borderline 1 of 3

as in frontier
located at or near a border a borderline region that is claimed by both countries

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

borderline

2 of 3

adverb

borderline

3 of 3

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of borderline
Adjective
After some highly amusing, borderline classic sketches, this does not quite hold up as much. Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2022 Springs’ slider is a viable third offering, a borderline average pitch, but when your top two offerings are doing work, average is just fine. Tony Blengino, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023
Adverb
Fringe-y/borderline/ticking-time-bomb people are always out there and probably have active imaginations that go way beyond what sometimes pops up in movies. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Oct. 2019 Both teams came out hitting to start Game 2 and the intensity jumped another level after McNabb’s borderline hit on Kuznetsov. Adam Candee, Detroit Free Press, 30 May 2018 See All Example Sentences for borderline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for borderline
Adverb
  • This year, the aim is to almost double its current store portfolio, which now includes expansion in the air travel channel.
    Kevin Rozario, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Müller’s central argument has been that populism should primarily be defined as a movement in which a leader claims to represent a silenced or forgotten—and almost always exclusionary—majority.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • A day after declaring their intention to capture large swathes of the crowded enclave, Israeli forces pushed into the city on Gaza's southern edge which had served as a last refuge for people fleeing other areas for much of the war.
    Nidal al-Mughrabi and Mahmoud Issa, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
  • And on the state’s far eastern edge, Shelby County, the poorest of the three, took on 307 cases.
    Ilana Panich-Linsman, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Aside from an attempt to sign guard Will Fries, Schneider doesn’t believe in paying big money for marginal production in free agency.
    Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
  • The Thunder currently have a marginal edge on the 62-15 Cleveland Cavaliers for the best overall record in the conference, with five games left on both clubs' schedules.
    John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • Excluding operators from development creates technically sound but practically flawed optimization targets.
    Pieter Van Schalkwyk, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • At a time when practically the entire rom-com genre has gravitated to streaming, this bilingual theatrical offering from Sony Pictures Classics feels like the best kind of throwback.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The percentage tells the public how much of the fire perimeter is believed to not go beyond the control lines.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • To get here, these Tigers outlasted Michigan and then Michigan State, winning their Elite Eight draw with rigid perimeter defense and a 25-point, 14-board Broome showing.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • The organization pointed out in its statement that, according to the Russian government’s own reporting, over 1.2 million Russians were living with HIV in 2024, and nearly half a million of those people had not received medical treatment.
    Stephen Daw, Billboard, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Maybe a once nearly extinct fish will end up preserving a minor league baseball team.
    Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But a corresponding bill in neighboring Illinois, House Bill 1500, remains stuck in committee, and there is ample reason to be skeptical about any change to state borders taking place.
    Made by History, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
  • The administration has poured in resources to stop the spiraling immigration situation at the southern border.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • So Far The first season was fairly faithful to the game.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Corrections are fairly common and viewed as a regular part of investing.
    Rachel Barber, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Borderline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/borderline. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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