demarcation

noun

de·​mar·​ca·​tion ˌdē-ˌmär-ˈkā-shən 

plural demarcations

1

: the marking of the limits or boundaries of something : the act, process, or result of demarcating something

the demarcation of property lines

2

: something that marks or constitutes a boundary

a demarcation line

: a marked or perceived distinction between one area, category, etc., and another

The ability to test a theory against physical evidence … has provided a useful demarcation between science and pseudoscience.

—Norriss S. Hetherington

Certainly no clear line of demarcation has as yet been drawn between species and sub-species—that is, the forms which in the opinion of some naturalists come very near to, but do not quite arrive at the rank of species.

—Charles Darwin

There has been much chatter in recent seasons about the great gender crossover, that deliberate erosion on the runways of a once-rigid demarcation between conventionally feminine and masculine clothes.

—Elizabeth Paton

… the continued presence in the modern imagination of a sharp demarcation between public and private space.

—AAG Abstracts

Synonyms

• discreteness
• discrimination
• distinction
• separation

Examples of demarcation in a Sentence

the lines of demarcation between art and entertainment are often blurry

Recent Examples on the Web

The organization’s calculus is pragmatic, as evident in its October 2022 support for a maritime demarcation deal between Israel and Lebanon. —Mohanad Hage Ali, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2024

There have been at least three incidents of South Korea firing warning shots since May after North Korean military personnel crossed the demarcation line, the midpoint of the Demilitarized Zone between the two countries. —Mike Valerio, CNN, 4 Aug. 2024

Satellite imagery has also shown North Korea building a wall-like structure along parts of the North Korean side of the demarcation zone, a 2.5-mile-thick buffer zone, half on each side of the border line. —Stella Kim, NBC News, 24 July 2024

The term today does not denote a coherent regional identity but is merely a mundane geographical demarcation used mostly by those outside the region. —Happymon Jacob, Foreign Affairs, 22 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1