as in frontier
located at or near a border
a borderline region that is claimed by both countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of borderline
Dilan Gomih, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Springs’ slider is a viable third offering, a borderline average pitch, but when your top two offerings are doing work, average is just fine.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023
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
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Sánchez might have had Call struck out, but a borderline call did not go his way.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borderline
Adjective
Finding leaders who operate successfully across these tensions seems theoretical, borderline mythical at best.
—Dilan Gomih, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Springs’ slider is a viable third offering, a borderline average pitch, but when your top two offerings are doing work, average is just fine.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023
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
King Kylie was an alter ego borderline.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Sánchez might have had Call struck out, but a borderline call did not go his way.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borderline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for borderline
Adverb
-
Cuomo’s desperate campaign — almost certainly his last — tried to knit together a coalition of Republicans, independents, and Democrats worried that a socialist mayor would wreck their city and their party.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Filler shots of chauffeurs, champagne and colossal walk-in closets with pristine designer clobber glistening and gleaming from glass shelves centred around trays and trays of priceless jewels assault the viewer’s senses between almost every scene.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Edis, chief of the Landon family office and a protégé of its founder, the late swashbuckling billionaire Timothy Landon, who’s legendary as the chief political advisor to his military school chum, the sultan of Oman, notes that Swain gives Houlihan Lokey an extra edge.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
-
This is the original pool, an infinity-edge spot where, years ago, Bobby would spend hours splashing and then join us at Lotus for lunch.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The zoning is only a marginal factor.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
5 Nov. 2025
-
That’s nice, but after last week’s Gotham-nominations haul, box-office performance is about to become a marginal portion of OBAA’s greater points portfolio.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
4 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
But the man who caught her eye in the end was practically a stranger.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
-
While other Super Tuscans are practically household names among wine collectors, Ca’Marcanda’s flagship blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, Camarcanda (without the apostrophe), seems to fly under the radar.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
By Thursday morning, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Once Josh McDaniels unlocked the Browns defense in the third quarter with perimeter runs that exploited their man-heavy approach and surprised them with a double-pass, Maye hit an easy touchdown throw that gave the Patriots some breathing room.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
28 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Vietnam’s Communist Party chief, To Lam, visited North Korea in early October — the first such trip in nearly two decades — while reports suggest Hanoi may pursue the purchase of 40 Russian Su-35 fighter jets.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Though the Maldives is the first country to enact such a ban, similar proposals have been debated – and nearly imposed – in other parts of the world.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The fight against climate change transcends national borders.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Earlier Tuesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the country detected North Korea test-firing around 10 rounds of artillery toward its western waters on Monday, shortly before Hegseth arrived at an inter-Korean border village with Ahn to begin his two-day visit to South Korea.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
In the first fight, Dern edged out two rounds to take a 29-28 decision, winning the first round fairly comfortably on the feet and outlanding Jandiroba 28-19.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Yet over a decade later, the constitution remains provisional and there is no clear agreement on how the central government in Mogadishu shares power with Somalia’s seven member states—some of which operate fairly autonomously.—
Omar S Mahmood,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Borderline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/borderline. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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