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 of borderland

• 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

The chase-down of immigrants, traditionally a tactic employed by the Border Patrol in remote borderlands areas, is now a blunt national strategy deployed by the federal government in America’s most populous cities. —Time, 4 Dec. 2025

Capital of the northern Italian region of Piedmont, Turin was part of the Duchy of Savoy, which covered the borderlands between Italy, France, and Switzerland. —Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 2 Dec. 2025

Fear sharpens the impulse, as Western prosperity threatens to lure away borderlands and incite unrest at home. —Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2025

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

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