borderland

noun

bor·​der·​land ˈbȯr-dər-ˌland 

1

a

: territory at or near a border

b

: fringe sense 3a

lives on the borderland of society

2

: a vague intermediate state or region

the borderland between fantasy and reality

Synonyms

• border

Examples of borderland in a Sentence

in the borderland between sleeping and waking

He describes adolescence as the tumultuous borderlands between childhood and adulthood.

Recent Examples on the Web

When Hernán helps Julia and her young daughter, Maribel, navigate treacherous borderlands, their desperate journey triggers the wrath of a ruthless trafficking syndicate. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025

The drama, set in a remote borderland town, traces the lives of locals grappling with history’s lingering shadows, blending Zhang’s trademark lyricism with a stark social critique. —Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2025

This is what the borderlands taste like, that casual blending of cultures and flavors. —Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025

Her books occupy the borderlands of realism and fable, where the plausible brushes up against the impossible, and the laws of narrative logic are bent just enough to let in the surreal. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

borderland

noun

bor·​der·​land ˈbȯrd-ər-ˌland 

1

: territory at or near a border : frontier

2

: an unclear condition or region separating two clearly different ones

the borderland between sleeping and waking