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
-
Merging with Teck will almost certainly be the master stroke in removing it from any plans by BHP to return with a fresh offer for Anglo American.—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Apple has since confirmed that the functionality will come to almost all modern smartwatch models.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.—
Jarrett Renshaw,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
On the other hand, edge computing will gain, too.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Copeland and Summers have each been active as individual recording artists and live performers, beginning even before the group’s official dissolution, but their music has targeted niche audiences, only achieving marginal sales.—
Mike Alleyne,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
At a 12% marginal tax rate, for example, the $6,000 deduction for a single taxpayer who is 65 or older would result in $720 in tax savings.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Back then, Julian said the area was practically devoid of anything regarding the cultural arts.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The building is practically an antique itself, rivaling the town of Belmont, which was established just 20 years before the mall.—
Olivia Lee,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
For years, cybersecurity focused on perimeter defenses.—
Max Silber,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The percentage indicates how much of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 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 Latvian announcement came hours after Poland's Operational Command issued notification on Thursday of the closure of Polish airspace all along the 260-mile border with Belarus.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
-
In late 2022, a missile struck Polish territory in the village of Przewodów, near the country’s border with Ukraine, killing two people.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
10 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 14 Sep. 2025.
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