marginal
gb/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl/ us/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl/
B2
英语
~ 5800
义项
0 个义项
adjective
B2
property
1
very small or not important
Very small in amount or effect, and not very important.
用法模式：
a marginal [difference/effect/improvement/impact]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes think "marginal" means "average" or "normal". In this sense, it means "very small" and often "not very important". Do not use it to describe something typical or moderate.
近义词
slight (Emphasizes small degree without necessarily implying low importance.)
|
minor (Stresses that something is not very important compared with other things.)
反义词
significant (Stresses that the size or effect is large enough to be important.)
|
considerable (Implies a fairly large amount or effect.)
搭配
marginal difference
|marginal improvement
|marginal increase
|marginal effect
|marginal impact
|marginal role
主题
daily life
|business
|politics
|core_vocabulary
例句
- The new policy only had a marginal effect on sales.
- There was a marginal difference in test scores between the two groups.
- He played a marginal role in the project and was rarely consulted.
- We’ve seen only marginal improvement in air quality this year.
- The company reported a marginal increase in profits last quarter.
学习者例句
- There was only a marginal change in price.
- The new rule made a marginal difference to our work.
- Her second test score was only marginally better than the first.
- The medicine gave him only marginal relief from pain.
- This plan offers only marginal benefits compared to the old one.
adjective
B2
property
2
barely good enough or successful
Only just good enough, successful, or safe; almost not acceptable.
用法模式：
a marginal [pass/win/case/performance]
常见错误：
Learners may confuse this sense with the "small or unimportant" sense. Here, "marginal" focuses on being very close to failing or not being acceptable, not just being small.
近义词
barely adequate (Highlights that something only just meets the minimum standard.)
|
borderline (Informal; suggests something is very close to failing or being unacceptable.)
反义词
solid (Describes performance or success that is clearly above the minimum standard.)
|
decisive (Describes success that is clear and far from marginal.)
搭配
marginal pass
|marginal win
|marginal performance
|marginal case
|marginal safety margin
主题
education
|sports
|safety
|core_vocabulary
例句
- He got a marginal pass in mathematics and may need extra help.
- The team’s victory was marginal, and many fans felt they were lucky to win.
- Because of her marginal performance, the company decided not to renew her contract.
- They were living in marginal conditions, with just enough food and money to get by.
- The evidence is marginal at best, so the case may not stand up in court.
学习者例句
- He got a marginal pass on the exam.
- The team had a marginal win by one point.
- Her result was marginal, so she was not happy.
- They live in very marginal conditions with little money.
- The safety level here is marginal, so we must be careful.
adjective
technical
C1
property
3
relating to one extra unit
(Economics) About the extra cost, benefit, or change when you produce or do one more of something.
用法模式：
marginal [cost/benefit/revenue/tax rate] of [something]
常见错误：
Learners often confuse "marginal" with "average" in economic terms. "Marginal" is about the next (extra) unit, while "average" is the total divided by the number of units.
近义词
incremental (General technical term for small step-by-step increases, not limited to economics.)
反义词
average (In economics, refers to total amount divided by quantity, not the additional unit.)
搭配
marginal cost
|marginal benefit
|marginal revenue
|marginal utility
|marginal tax rate
主题
business
|economics
|finance
例句
- The company will expand production as long as marginal cost is below marginal revenue.
- Policy makers considered the marginal benefit of each additional dollar spent on healthcare.
- A progressive system increases the marginal tax rate as income rises.
- Economists use marginal analysis to decide how much of a product to produce.
- The marginal utility of each extra slice of cake decreases as you eat more.
学习者例句
- In economics, we study marginal cost and marginal benefit.
- The firm looks at marginal cost before making more units.
- If marginal benefit is higher than marginal cost, production should increase.
- The marginal tax rate can change when your income goes up.
- Marginal analysis helps companies decide how much to produce.
adjective
C1
property
4
socially or economically on the edge
Outside the main part of society, with little power, money, or support.
用法模式：
marginal [groups/communities/positions] in [society/system]
常见错误：
Learners may confuse "marginal" with "marginalized". "Marginalized" is a verb/adjective that emphasizes the process of being pushed aside, while this sense of "marginal" describes the state or position of being on the edge of society.
近义词
disadvantaged (Focuses more on lack of money or opportunity than on being outside the mainstream.)
|
peripheral (More formal; suggests being on the outer edge of attention or importance.)
反义词
mainstream (Describes people or groups that are fully part of the dominant culture or system.)
|
privileged (Describes groups with more power, money, or advantages than most people.)
搭配
marginal groups
|marginal communities
|marginal position
|marginal farmers
|marginal voices
主题
society
|politics
|relationships
例句
- The program aims to support marginal groups who are often ignored by policymakers.
- Many artists spend years in a marginal position before gaining recognition.
- The report highlights the struggles of marginal communities in rural areas.
- Marginal voices are rarely heard in the national debate.
- Economic reforms must consider the needs of people in marginal employment.
学习者例句
- The government wants to help marginal groups in the city.
- Marginal communities often have poor schools and few jobs.
- Her research is about marginal people in big cities.
- Marginal voices are not heard in the media.
- Some farmers live in very marginal positions in the economy.
adjective
B2
property
5
at or related to an edge or margin
At or near the edge of something, or about the edge of something.
用法模式：
marginal [notes/areas/land]
常见错误：
Learners sometimes confuse this with the "small or unimportant" sense. In this sense, "marginal" is about physical or figurative position at the edge, not about importance.
近义词
edge (Often used only in context; describes something at the edge but not specifically in margins of a page.)
|
peripheral (More formal; stresses being at the outer edge or not central.)
反义词
central (Describes something located in the middle rather than at the edge.)
|
inner (Stresses being inside or away from the boundary or margin.)
搭配
marginal notes
|marginal areas
|marginal land
|marginal zone
主题
writing
|geography
|space
|core_vocabulary
例句
- She wrote several marginal notes in the textbook while studying.
- The project focuses on marginal areas of the city that lack infrastructure.
- Farmers could only grow crops on marginal land with poor soil.
- The map highlights marginal zones that are at risk of flooding.
- Marginal comments in the manuscript were added by the editor.
学习者例句
- I like to write small marginal notes in my books.
- There are many poor people living in marginal areas of the city.
- They can only use this marginal land for grazing animals.
- The teacher wrote a marginal comment next to my paragraph.
- This area is a marginal zone between the city and the forest.
adjective
technical
C2
property
6
relating to marginal statistics
(Statistics) About the distribution or chance of one variable when you ignore the other variables.
用法模式：
marginal [distribution/probability/totals] of [variable]
常见错误：
Learners may confuse "marginal" here with its everyday meaning of "small" or "unimportant". In statistics, "marginal" describes how the numbers are calculated, not how large or important they are.
近义词
aggregate (General word for combined values; does not specifically mean summing over other variables in statistics.)
反义词
joint (In statistics, refers to distributions or probabilities of variables considered together, not individually.)
搭配
marginal distribution
|marginal probability
|marginal totals
主题
statistics
|mathematics
|science
|education
例句
- The table shows both the joint and marginal distributions of age and income.
- We first calculate the marginal probability of each outcome.
- Marginal totals are used to derive the marginal distribution for each variable.
- The researcher reported only marginal probabilities, not the full joint model.
- By summing the rows, you obtain the marginal distribution of X.
学习者例句
- This chart shows the marginal distribution of gender.
- We can find the marginal probability by adding the row values.
- The marginal totals are written at the edge of the table.
- Students must know the difference between joint and marginal probabilities.
- To get the marginal distribution of X, ignore the values of Y.
语法
词典原形
marginal
IPA
GB/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl/
US/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl/
音节与重音
mar - gin - al （3 个音节）
Stress on 1st syllable (mar)
词形变化
Adjective
- Base: marginal
词族
Core family
margin
noun A2
marginally
adverb B2
Related words
marginalize
verb C1
marginalization
noun C1
Negative and opposite forms
central
adjective A2
Advanced or less common
marginality
noun C1
相关表达
marginal benefit
1/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl bˈɛnəfɪt/
fixed phrase
technical
extra benefit of one more unit
The extra good result or satisfaction you get from using or doing one more unit of something.
例句
- The government compared the marginal benefit of each program to its marginal cost.
- Consumers stop buying when marginal benefit falls below the price.
- We invest until the marginal benefit of another dollar spent is zero.
marginal cost
1/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl kˈɔst/
fixed phrase
technical
additional cost of one more unit
The extra cost to make one more unit of a product or service.
例句
- If the price is higher than marginal cost, the firm will increase production.
- Economists often assume that marginal cost rises as output increases.
- We need to calculate the marginal cost before deciding to expand the factory.
marginal improvement
1/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl ɪmpɹˈuvmənt/
fixed phrase
very small improvement
A change that makes something a little better, but not much.
例句
- The new software offers only marginal improvement over the old version.
- There has been marginal improvement in unemployment figures this year.
- Training led to marginal improvement in the team’s performance.
marginal increase
1/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl ˈɪŋkɹis/
fixed phrase
very small increase
A very small rise in number, size, or level.
例句
- The company reported a marginal increase in profits.
- There was only a marginal increase in temperature overnight.
- We saw a marginal increase in customer satisfaction after the changes.
marginal note
1/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl nˈoʊt/
fixed phrase
note written in the margin
A small comment or explanation written at the side of a page.
例句
- The editor added a marginal note to clarify the argument.
- Students were asked to make marginal notes while reading the text.
- I wrote a marginal note to remind myself to check that data.
marginal seat
1/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl sˈit/
fixed phrase
technical
electoral district with close results
A voting area where the winning party can easily change because the vote is usually very close.
例句
- Parties spend a lot of money campaigning in marginal seats.
- The election will be decided in just a few marginal seats.
- He lost his marginal seat after a small swing to the opposition.
marginal tax rate
1/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl tˈæks ɹˈeɪt/
fixed phrase
technical
tax rate on next unit of income
The percentage of tax you pay on the next dollar (or unit) of income you earn.
例句
- A higher marginal tax rate can discourage people from working extra hours.
- The reform lowers the marginal tax rate for middle-income earners.
- You should look at your marginal tax rate, not just your average rate.
marginal utility
1/mˈɑɹd͡ʒənəl jutˈɪləti/
fixed phrase
technical
extra satisfaction from one more unit
The extra satisfaction you feel when you consume one more unit of a product.
例句
- According to the law of diminishing marginal utility, each extra slice of pizza brings less pleasure.
- Economists use marginal utility to explain why demand curves slope downward.
- Her marginal utility from another cup of coffee was almost zero.