borderline

1 of 2

adjective

bor·​der·​line ˈbȯr-dər-ˌlīn 

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• frontier
• marginal

Adverb

• about
• all but
• almost
• fair [chiefly British]
• fairly
• feckly [chiefly Scottish]
• more or less
• most
• much
• near
• nearly
• next to
• nigh
• practically
• somewhere
• virtually
• well-nigh

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

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

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1925, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing borderline

• borderline personality disorder

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