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
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Recent Examples of borderline
Samantha MacAvoy, Good Housekeeping, 18 Jan. 2023
Four large and filling barbecue pork buns were a borderline preposterous $8.
—oregonlive, 7 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
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Legal experts told Ars that these claims seem borderline absurd.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borderline
Adjective
These tasty morsels are glazed with a sticky sweet cola- and soy sauce-mixture that packs a borderline obscene amount of garlic (six whole cloves!).
—Samantha MacAvoy, Good Housekeeping, 18 Jan. 2023
Four large and filling barbecue pork buns were a borderline preposterous $8.
—oregonlive, 7 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
But fan battles about the love triangle at the heart of the plot have only become more intense, insane, and borderline psychotic with each weekly episode release.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025
Legal experts told Ars that these claims seem borderline absurd.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borderline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for borderline
Adverb
-
At Novant, the upfront cost is almost $3,000 for 24/7 access to a provider through two clinics in the region, Hallmark Care and Traditions Concierge Medicine in Charlotte.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The eagles' first flights were often clumsy, almost embarrassing affairs, according to Parker.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
On the southwestern side of the fire, hand crews and dozers began building new containment lines along Sycamore Ridge Road to prevent the westward spread of the fire from the Dinkey Creek drainage and cut the fire off close to its active edge.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The base stores up to three tools, including a corner cleaner and an edge sweeper.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But the total lump sum is also subject to a federal marginal tax rate of up to 37%.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The damage being done to Chinese refiners via punitive tariffs for doing business with Venezuela would not be worth marginal gains.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Those looking to get their steps in might ping pong between the Lake Stage, near Polk Bros Park at the Pier’s entrance point, and the East Stage, at the very end, practically in the lake.—
Lauren Warnecke,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
In other words, practically no words necessary.—
Julie Hinds,
Freep.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
As of Thursday evening, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Many require a minimum perimeter of 320 inches, or more than 26 feet.—
Connor Giffin,
The Courier-Journal,
26 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
After graduating, Dudek spent nearly a decade working for tech companies that contracted with the federal government on modernization projects, before migrating to several jobs within federal agencies themselves.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The change affects more than 50 titles and nearly 240 individual books, many focused on puberty.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Permian Basin — the country’s largest oil field, which straddles the Texas-New Mexico border — was estimated by a 2024 study to emit the second-most methane of any oil field in the world.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Poland, whose defense spending is the highest in Europe in terms of gross domestic product, has its own long border with Russian to contend with.—
Daniel R. DePetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Any veggie that's long and fairly sturdy when cut is fair game.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Dropping Meat Boy into a 3D world adds a brand new layer of complexity to a platforming series that was already fairly tough to begin with.—
Joshua Lamb,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Borderline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/borderline. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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