as in marginal
located at or near a border
a frontier town with a reputation for vice and lawlessness
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in border
a region along the dividing line between two countries
the Apaches were once feared on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico frontier
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in countryside
a rural region that forms the edge of the settled or developed part of a country
Alaska has been called America's last frontier
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of frontier
Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
Undeterred by the chaos and convinced his daughter is potentially at another rave near the Mauritanian frontier, Luis makes a pivotal, reckless decision.
—Robert Lang, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frontier
Adjective
That worried Huang, who fears a Chinese rival, and White House officials, who believe Chinese dependence on non-frontier American chips is the best way to ensure a lead in AI.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Noun
Quantum computing is the next frontier of computing, promising a world of computation exponentially faster than today’s fastest supercomputers.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
Undeterred by the chaos and convinced his daughter is potentially at another rave near the Mauritanian frontier, Luis makes a pivotal, reckless decision.
—Robert Lang, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frontier
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frontier
Adjective
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So there's really no choice but for the four major conference commissioners to compile a set of rules and guidelines that make at least a marginal bit of sense.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The weather service’s Storm Prediction Center has placed much of Missouri, including the Kansas City metro, under a marginal risk of severe weather.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For instance, in Tarija near the Argentina-Bolivia border, the Andean Carnivore Conservation Program is helping farmers transition from clearing forests to beekeeping to boost populations of the Andean bear.—
Brianna Randall,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Iraq has beefed up patrols along its border with Syria.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Coastal meets countryside at the Fasano Punta del Este in Uruguay.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
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Syria’s Ministry of Interior said Monday that security forces had recaptured 81 of the 120 ISIS prisoners who escaped from the al-Shaddadi prison in the Hasakah countryside and were continuing efforts to track down the remaining escapees.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Hollywood couple Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors received Guinean citizenship after tracing their ancestry to the West African country through DNA testing.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Our country is built on immigrants.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Few beyond North Carolina’s borders grasp the outsize role Newby, 70, has played in transforming the state’s top court from a relatively harmonious judicial backwater to a front-line partisan battleground since his election in 2004.—
Doug Bock Clark,
ProPublica,
30 Dec. 2025
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The nightclub, located along the Arpora River backwaters, had a narrow entry and exit that forced the firefighters to park their tankers about 1,300 feet away, delaying the efforts, the news agency said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
In Virginia, a dissident hinterland landowner named Nathaniel Bacon led a revolt by aggrieved Colonists that torched the English provincial capital at Jamestown.—
Peter C. Mancall,
The Conversation,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Sellew is a bold new voice, using sharp, stylish prose to explore the hinterland of contemporary mating.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Kittitas County Sheriff said four men were touring the backcountry near Longs Pass trail on Friday afternoon when they were caught in the mass of snow.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Sheriff's deputies, along with the Kittitas County Search and Rescue volunteers, responded and reached the remote area using snowmobiles and winter backcountry equipment, according to the sheriff's office.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Now the birds’ favored nesting habitats, the native pisonia trees and octopus bushes, are back.—
Susan Casey,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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The tracks of Eastern cottontail are also a common sight — especially near thickets of chokecherry, elderberry and other bushes that provide safe shelter.—
Susan Koch,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frontier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frontier. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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