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borderline 1 of 3

adjective

ˈbȯr-dər-ˌlīn How to pronounce borderline (audio)
Definition of borderlinenext
as in frontier
located at or near a border a borderline region that is claimed by both countries

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

borderline

2 of 3

adverb

as in almost
very close to but not completely your answer was borderline rude, so I would advise you to be more diplomatic in the future

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

borderline

3 of 3

noun

as in edge
the line or relatively narrow space that marks the outer limit of something the actual borderline separating the two properties is now being disputed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
And sure, six to eight weeks of emergency supplies might sound a little alarmist — maybe borderline doomsday prep-y. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026 The Dillon one is actually borderline insane for a guy in an RCR car who understands how to get to the front at these types of races. — Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 11 July 2026
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
Noun
Swift, Cam Skattebo, Tyler Allgeier, Jordan Mason, Jaylen Warren and Kaelon Black are all in the 20% market-share bucket, in borderline-RB2 territory. — Michael Salfino, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 The darkly comic tone of those scenes can feel borderline condescending — Did Brizé ever imagine that some people could perhaps find fulfillment in their office jobs? — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for borderline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for borderline
  1. frontier
  2. almost
  3. edge
  4. marginal
  5. practically
  6. perimeter
  7. nearly
  8. border
Adjective
  • That worried Huang, who fears a Chinese rival, and White House officials, who believe Chinese dependence on non-frontier American chips is the best way to ensure a lead in AI.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Definition of frontier
Adverb
  • Season three of Nobody Wants This is almost upon us, and Lupe has been making her rounds from New York Fashion Week to the red carpet, including while wearing a pair of these exact Talbot jeans.
    — Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026
  • More importantly, bonds are also almost certainly bigger than the traditional banking system—and probably crossed that mark sometime in the past decade, for the first time since both were invented a millennium ago.
    — Robin Wigglesworth, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of almost
Noun
  • Iris Law’s piecey pixie is parted to the side, with soft texture and a jagged, wispy bang for some edge.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Researchers recreated this underlying dynamics in a controllable quantum system and found that string breaking can begin at the edges before spreading inward.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of edge
Adjective
  • Speeding up expression itself doesn’t remove the main difficulty and yields only a marginal gain.
    — Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Households in the highest federal income bracket pay a 37% top marginal income tax rate.
    — Kate Dore, CFP®, EA, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of marginal
Adverb
  • Their low-profile silhouette and soft quilted uppers pack practically flat without losing their shape, while flexible rubber outsoles provide great grip.
    — Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 24 Sep. 2026
  • But the chances of that conjuring a trade for a starting-caliber star are practically nil.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of practically
Noun
  • Other complained in 2023 that an ice cream stand set up outside the camp’s perimeter sent the wrong message.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • An offseason filled with roster shuffling continued Tuesday for the Charlotte Hornets, who completed a three-player deal with Atlanta to land another guard with perimeter shooting potential.
    — Staff reports, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of perimeter
Adverb
  • But centering a nearly dead Cathy Ames (Florence Pugh) is Kazan’s entire intention with this project, and snagging us with the image of her bloody body crawling toward the Trasks’ farmhouse is a tip of the hand toward where East of Eden is going.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Michael Poore is a nearly 40-year veteran of public education and the former superintendent of the Little Rock and Bentonville school districts.
    — Michael Poore Special to the Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of nearly
Noun
  • The Pakistani Information Ministry rejected a claim by Afghanistan's Defense Ministry that Afghanistan had destroyed a Pakistani post near the southern Afghan border town of Spin Boldak, opposite the Pakistani city of Chaman.
    — MUNIR AHMED, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • She was denied asylum under a Biden-era border policy that restricted eligibility for many migrants who crossed the southern border outside official pathways.
    — Mick Krever, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of border

Browse Nearby Words

borderlands
borderline
borderlines
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Cite this Entry

“Borderline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/borderline. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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