edge

1 a harsh or sharp quality <the teacher's voice had a sarcastic edge as she welcomed the tardy student to class> Synonyms acerbity, acidity, acidness, acridity, acridness, acrimoniousness, acrimony, acuteness, asperity, bite, bitterness, harshness, keenness, poignance, poignancy, pungency, roughness, sharpness, tartness Related Words ginger, punch, spice, tang; raucousness, severeness, severity, shrillness, virulence, vitriol; cattiness, maliciousness; pointedness, thorniness Near Antonyms gentleness, kindliness Antonyms mildness, softness

2 the line or relatively narrow space that marks the outer limit of something <the design along the edge of the plate is badly worn> Synonyms borderline, bound, boundary, brim, circumference, compass, confines, border, edging, end, frame, fringe, hem, margin, perimeter, periphery, rim, skirt, skirting, vergeRelated Words ambit; brink, crest, curb, cusp, lip; ceiling, maximum; demarcation, extent, limitation, measure, mere, restriction, termination; borderland, frontier, march, outskirts, pale, selvage; lap; shoreNear Antonyms center, core, heart; inner, inside, interior, middle, within

3 the more favorable condition or position in a competition <my big feet give me something of an edge in swimming> Synonyms better, bulge, catbird seat, drop, advantage, high ground, inside track, jump, pull, stead, upper hand, vantage, whip handRelated Words allowance, head start, lead, leg up, margin, odds, start; ascendancy (also ascendency), command, dominance, mastery, predominance, superiority, supremacy, transcendence, transcendency; precedence, preference, prerogative, privilege, seniority; break, foothold, opportunity; benefit, blessing, boon, felicity, godsend, manna, windfallNear Antonyms detriment, stranglehold; disparity, imbalance, inequality, unevenness; disability, failing, impairment, shortcoming; bar, catch, check, clog, crimp, embarrassment, hindrance, hitch, hurdle, impediment, interference, let, manacle, obstacle, obstruction, rub, shackle, stop, trammel; lurch, setbackAntonyms disadvantage, drawback, handicap, liability, minus, penalty, strike

4 the power to produce a desired result <the utter lack of enforcement provisions totally blunts the edge of the law> Synonyms efficacy, effectiveness, effectualness, efficaciousness, efficacity, efficiency, productivenessRelated Words ability, capability, capacity; potency, puissance, strengthNear Antonyms inability, inadequacy, inadequateness, incompetence, incompetencyAntonyms ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficiency

5 an interval of time just before the onset of something <the nation's economy was on the edge of collapse when the Federal Reserve took exceptionally bold action> Synonyms brink, cusp, point, threshold, vergeRelated Words nick