borderline

1 of 2

adjective

bor·​der·​line ˈbȯr-dər-ˌlīn How to pronounce borderline (audio)
1
a
: being in an intermediate position or state : not fully classifiable as one thing or its opposite
a borderline state between waking and sleeping
b
: not quite up to, typical of, or as severe as what is usual, standard, or expected
borderline intelligence
borderline hypertension
c
: characterized by psychological instability in several areas (such as interpersonal relations, behavior, and identity) but only with brief or no psychotic episodes
a borderline personality disorder
2
: situated at or near a border
a borderline town
borderline noun

borderline

2 of 2

adverb

: almost, nearly
The decorations were borderline tacky.
She was borderline diabetic.
… getting this close to such a vibrant music town without checking it out is borderline criminal.Rusty Pate
He played an arrangement some fiddlers have called borderline impossible with a breathless passion to a last note that faded into the heavens.Rich Landers

Examples of borderline in a Sentence

Adjective In borderline cases like these, the best course of action is difficult to determine. As a borderline diabetic, Lara is able to control her blood sugar levels solely through diet. Adverb The movie is only borderline funny. your answer was borderline rude, so I would advise you to be more diplomatic in the future
Recent Examples on the Web
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 Baker’s now got to deal with the billion-dollar, blatantly professional, borderline criminal greed of big-time college sports while at the same time trying to serve worthy, Division 3 programs with true amateurs playing for the love of the game. Dan Shaughnessy, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Dec. 2022 Fetterman brought this youthful zeal to his campaign, in part because his Digital Director, Sophie Ota, age 26, is a borderline Gen Z-er herself. Ashley Aylward, Time, 10 Nov. 2022 After some highly amusing, borderline classic sketches, this does not quite hold up as much. Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2022 Springs’ slider is a viable third offering, a borderline average pitch, but when your top two offerings are doing work, average is just fine. Tony Blengino, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023 Her counsel wrote that McLaughlin has been diagnosed with borderline intellectual disability, brain damage and fetal alcohol syndrome. Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 3 Jan. 2023 Monday morning another freeze is expected with lows of 28 degrees, and Tuesday is expected to be borderline with a low of 31 to 33 degrees, said Orlando Bermudez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Elizabeth Sander, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Dec. 2022
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 In the middle of this, I was tested for gestational diabetes, and the result came back borderline. The Cut, 14 Sep. 2017 There’s no doubting the existence and growing popularity online of conspiratorial—and borderline demented—commentary on Russia. Jeet Heer, New Republic, 23 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'borderline.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of borderline was in 1907

Dictionary Entries Near borderline

Cite this Entry

“Borderline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borderline. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

borderline

adjective
bor·​der·​line
-ˌlīn
1
: situated between two points or states
2
: not quite normal or acceptable

Medical Definition

borderline

1 of 2 adjective
bor·​der·​line
-ˌlīn
1
: being in an intermediate position or state : not fully classifiable as one thing or its opposite
especially : not quite up to what is usual, standard, or expected
borderline intelligence
2
: exhibiting typical but not altogether conclusive symptoms
a borderline diabetic
3
: of, relating to, being, or exhibiting a behavior pattern typical or suggestive of borderline personality disorder
a borderline patient
borderline behavior

borderline

2 of 2 noun
: a person affected with borderline personality disorder

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