marginality
|mar-gi-nal-i-ty|
🇺🇸
/ˌmɑrdʒɪˈnælɪti/
🇬🇧
/ˌmɑːdʒɪˈnælɪti/
state of being at the edge
Etymology
'marginality' is formed in modern English from the adjective 'marginal' + the noun-forming suffix '-ity' (from Latin '-itas'). 'Marginal' in turn comes from Latin 'margo, marginis' meaning 'edge, border.'
'margin' entered English via Old French 'marge' (from Late Latin), became Middle English 'margene/margine', then modern English 'margin'; from this came the adjective 'marginal' and later the abstract noun 'marginality'.
Originally associated with a literal 'edge' or 'border', the sense broadened metaphorically to mean social, political, or economic peripherality and to technical senses such as marginal effects in economics.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the state or quality of being marginal; located at or relating to an edge, border, or periphery; not central or of secondary importance.
The marginality of the village made access to services difficult.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
in social and political contexts, the condition of being marginalized or excluded from mainstream social, economic, or political life.
Scholars study the marginality experienced by immigrant communities.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/09 19:40