BORDERLINE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does borderline mean? 

• BORDERLINE (noun)
  The noun BORDERLINE has 1 sense:

1. a line that indicates a boundary

  Familiarity information: BORDERLINE used as a noun is very rare.

• BORDERLINE (adjective)
  The adjective BORDERLINE has 1 sense:

1. of questionable or minimal quality

  Familiarity information: BORDERLINE used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BORDERLINE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A line that indicates a boundary

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

border; borderline; boundary line; delimitation; mete

Hypernyms ("borderline" is a kind of...):

bound; boundary; bounds (the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "borderline"):

circuit; circumference (the boundary line encompassing an area or object)

fence line (a boundary line created by a fence)

property line (the boundary line between two pieces of property)

state boundary; state line (the boundary between two states)

Instance hyponyms:

Green Line (the border marking the boundaries of the land that Israel won in its 1948 war of independence)

Line of Control (a 450-mile line that is supposed to indicate the boundary between the part of Kashmir controlled by India and the part controlled by Pakistan)

• BORDERLINE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of questionable or minimal quality

Synonyms:

borderline; marginal

Context example:

marginal writing ability

Similar:

minimal; minimum (the least possible)

 Context examples 

A benign, borderline, or malignant surface epithelial-stromal tumor of the ovary that is characterized by a predominance of clear and hobnail cells.

(Ovarian Clear Cell Tumor, NCI Thesaurus)

A benign, borderline, or malignant surface epithelial-stromal tumor of the ovary that is characterized by the presence of glands and/or cysts lined by neoplastic cells that resemble endometrial cells.

(Ovarian Endometrioid Tumor, NCI Thesaurus)

Also called ovarian borderline malignant tumor.

(Ovarian low malignant potential tumor, NCI Dictionary)

A benign, borderline, or malignant surface epithelial-stromal tumor of the ovary.

(Ovarian Mixed Epithelial Tumor, NCI Thesaurus)

A benign, borderline, or malignant transitional cell neoplasm arising from the ovary.

(Ovarian Brenner Tumor, NCI Thesaurus)

This term encompasses benign neoplastic processes, neoplastic processes with dysplastic features, and borderline processes.

(Non-Malignant, NCI Thesaurus)

It usually originates from borderline neoplastic processes or adenofibromas.

(Low Grade Ovarian Serous Adenocarcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

A benign, borderline, or malignant neoplasm that affects the male reproductive system.

(Male Reproductive System Neoplasm, NCI Thesaurus)

Cases with epithelial atypia described in the ovary lacking stromal invasion are designated as borderline mucinous adenofibromas and have a low grade malignant potential.

(Mucinous Adenofibroma, NCI Thesaurus)

A benign, borderline, or malignant epithelial tumor that arises from the ovary and is characterized by the presence of papillary proliferations.

(Ovarian Papillary Tumor, NCI Thesaurus)