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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frontier
Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
The issue — or, more accurately, the last frontier that exists between Gore and the actualized version of himself — lies in sustainability.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 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
Logan Graham, head of Anthropic’s frontier red team, told Axios that the company views cybersecurity as a competition between offense and defense, and wants to ensure defenders get access to these tools first.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
The issue — or, more accurately, the last frontier that exists between Gore and the actualized version of himself — lies in sustainability.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frontier
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frontier
Adjective
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Adler’s version, as elegant and lyrical as Fisher’s, enumerates ways to use every last scrap, bone, and core—and introduced her as a writer who made art out of the marginal.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Learn your tax brackets A key reason to study your tax return, Smith said, is to become familiar with marginal tax rates.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Dera was founded in 1948 by the mystic Mastana Balochistani in the Haryana city of Sirsa, near the northern state’s borders with Punjab, India’s breadbasket, and the desert state of Rajasthan.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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Shovgi Huseynov, a researcher at the University at Buffalo's Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in New York, was released from an immigration detention center nearly a month after making a wrong turn near the Canadian border.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Perched on a hilltop in the scenic countryside, the luxurious fort can be rented for roughly $13,300 per night.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
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The show’s postcard-ready shots of the northern countryside, with its verdant hills and winding roads, are another incongruity, belying the challenges of survival there for those on the fringes.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Joy Neumeyer What do the far right’s fluctuating fortunes in Poland suggest about countries seeking an off-ramp from autocracy?—
Leah Downey,
The New York Review of Books,
7 Feb. 2026
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So whatever successes – or failures – South Korea experiences will inform how other countries battle their own crises.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In 2002 Bisignano took charge at a Citi backwater called Global Transactions Services that was then losing $3 billion a year.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
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The film takes place in a dreary town in Victoria, Australia, a drab industrial backwater whose people — or, at least some of whom — flock to religion to give their lives the brightness of hope and higher purpose.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Topics ranged from the connection between housing and economic development to the presence of NIMBYism in America’s hinterland.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Quick, frequent rail connections between a large city and its hinterland are a fundamental of modern economic geography.—
F.K. Plous,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Low snowpack is raising concerns, as debris in Colorado's backcountry is becoming exposed, posing risks to skiers.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
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In winter, head to Blue Sky for a backcountry-like skiing experience that’s still serviced by lifts.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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With ‘Marilyn Monroe’ and ‘Moonstone’ as its parents, the 5-foot-tall bush is very thorny and has very good performance ratings.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
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Set at an elevation of over 1,706 feet, the farm's undulating hills were lined with what seemed like endless rows of verdant tea bushes.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frontier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frontier. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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