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borderline

borderline

9 4.1
A line that shows the edge between two places or countries
  • noun
  • /ˈbɔrdərˌlaɪn/
translation icon : frontera
  • The soldiers stood at the borderline, ready to protect their territory from any intruders.
  • borderline between two
  • borderline separating

Examples

  • You see, it's not like there's a borderline between the good people and the bad people.

  • The difference seemed dramatic today, a borderline between two countries in her body.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • And he has had a very interesting career on this sort of borderline between technology and art and entertainment.

  • I'm a local guide here and we are in the northwest of Jordan at the borderline with historical Palestine and Syria.

  • Both books stand on the borderline between autobiography and fiction, documentary and personal revelation.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Indeed, these bodies were neither alive nor dead; they floated dizzyingly at the borderline between corps and corpse.

    Academic text (1992)
  • In the case discussed here, the distinction or borderline refers to intergenerational fairness and intergenerational unfairness.

    Academic text (2018)
  • We crossed the borderline and entered the neighboring country without any issues.

  • The river serves as a natural borderline between the two regions, marking their distinct boundaries.

Synonyms

line
vsborderline
1.0

A row of words on a page, for example in an ad

is a specific term for a place-to-place separating mark
border
vsborderline
1.0

A line that separates two countries or regions

is the general word used for such territorial limits
boundary
vsborderline
232 3.1

A line or fence that marks the edge of an area and separates it from another

is the everyday term for that same separating mark
frontier
vsborderline
41 4.1

An area at the border between two countries, often guarded

is the simple term for the exact separating mark between places
state line
vsborderline
  • US
37 2.1

A border between two states in the same country

is the generic word for that separating marker
demarcation
vsborderline
9 6.8

A clear line or limit that shows the difference between things

focuses on the simple place marker rather than the action
dividing line
vsborderline
8 4.1

A clear border between two ideas, groups, or situations

is the concrete physical marker between places rather than a concept
bounds
vsborderline
2 3.2

A limit that shows how far something reaches

is the common label for a single separating mark
boundary line
vsborderline
2 3.1

A line that shows the edge between two areas

is a simpler common word for the same place marker
demarcation line
vsborderline
2 5.5

A line or border that shows where one area ends and another begins

is the standard term for that clear dividing mark
district line
vsborderline
1 3.2

A border that shows where one local area ends and another begins

is the more general name for that administrative separator
mete
vsborderline
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A marker, like a stone or post, that shows the border of land

is the everyday term for that type of land marker
delimitation
vsborderline
  • Formal
1 8.0

A line or limit that shows where one area ends and another begins

is the basic name for the perimeter itself rather than the setting act
state boundary
vsborderline
1 3.2

An official line that divides two areas in the same country, like New York and New Jersey

is the broader common term for any such political divide
sea line
vsborderline
2.8

The line where land meets the sea

is the general word for a separating mark on land

Compounds

8.0

A low level of thinking ability just above a disability that affects learning and thinking, often allowing independent living

A mild mental illness that causes symptoms like hearing voices or having strange beliefs

How Clear

line of defense
  • US
1 3.3
boundary
232 3.1
borderline
9 4.1

Surface Forms

borderline singular
borderlines plural

Morphology

borderline = border + line (transparent) = border + line

The meaning is the direct combination of 'border' + 'line' indicating a boundary line, straightforward for learners.

Etymology

Borderline is made of two simple words: border ('edge' or 'limit') and line ('a line'). It names the line that marks the edge between two places, so we use borderline for the boundary between areas or countries.