inframarginal

9.9

Something that is below a limit or cutoff, often used in economics

adjective
/ˌɪnfrəˈmɑrdʒɪnəl/

Specialized

: inframarginal

Firms generating inframarginal profits often have a competitive advantage over their peers.

Examples

This creates inframarginal rents for other firms who are able to satisfy the government requirement at lower cost.

Academic text (1992)
The difference between $9 and $22 makes sense because it reflects the fact that only half the population is employed, and the leisure time spent on the Internet is inframarginal.

Academic text (2016)
Inframarginal costs can significantly influence pricing strategies in many industries.
The inframarginal revenue derived from premium services has increased the company's overall profitability.

How Low

inframarginal

Specialized

9.9

marginal

9 4.7

supramarginal

Specialized

1 9.9

Surface Forms

inframarginal positive

Morphology

inframarginal = marginal (semi-transparent) = infra + margin + al

The prefix 'infra-' conveys 'below' and combines predictably with 'marginal', but 'infra-' is formal/technical and may be unfamiliar to average learners.

Etymology

The word inframarginal joins infra- ('below') and margin ('edge' or 'border'), the same infra- you see in infrared and the everyday word margin. So, inframarginal means 'below the margin' or 'under the limit', which is why people use it for units or changes that lie under a limit in economics and other areas.