a marginal delay

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a marginal delay" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a slight or minor delay in a process or event. Example: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, there was a marginal delay in the delivery of the project."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

The single knock-out lines did not show any visible phenotype, whereas the double knock-out line showed a marginal delay in seed germination and initial growth.

Plosone

We believe that these two mechanisms work independently because we saw only a marginal delay in spindle formation either in the mts3.1 proteasome mutant, hrs1.T14A stabilized mutant, or in the hrs1.FA6 nonphosphorylatable mutant, presumably because, when one of either regulation (degradation or phosphorylation) is missing, the remaining regulation still turns off the Hrs1 function.

Current Biology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

The optimal price for executing any job at a peer location is essentially equal to the marginal delay cost it imposes on all current jobs at that node.

Electronic Commerce Research and Applications

The marginal delay in delivery of adjuvant chemotherapy could be an argument to support the growing popularity of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Breast Cancer Research and Treatment

The number of purchased insurance contracts depends on the expected delay costs: additional contracts are bought till the marginal insurance cost equals the marginal delay cost.

European Transport Research Review

Health care seeking behavior was modeled by combining the marginal delay from symptom onset to health care seeking distribution [ 19] and day-of-the-week distribution calculated from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC) clinic data for ILI.

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

Such study shows area savings of up to 10% at a marginal reduction in delay and power around 3% compare to the conventional adder based reconfigurable structures.

Procedia Technology

Each result is compared to a reference architecture, showing area savings of up to 20% at a marginal increase in delay, and an increase in power consumption of 25% and above.

Microprocessors and Microsystems

The logarithmic variation of the normalized HoL delay has a marginal increase in the priority of the lower channel quality flows.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

In fact, the PRC showed a marginal context similarity effect for the delayed list as well, t(18) = 1.54, p = 0.07, suggesting that the sensitivity of this region to context information was stable over time.

eLife

There were significant proprioceptive drifts in the 200 and 300 ms delay conditions (t(17) = 3.22 and t(17) = 3.15, respectively, P<0.05, corrected; Table 1), and a marginal drift was observed in the 100 ms delay condition (t(17) = 2.04; P = 0.08, corrected).

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a delay, quantify it if possible (e.g., "a marginal delay of a few seconds") to provide more precise information.

Common error

Avoid using "a marginal delay" when the delay is actually significant. Reserve it for truly minor postponements to maintain accuracy.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a marginal delay" functions as a noun phrase, where "marginal" modifies the noun "delay". It describes the extent or degree of the delay, indicating that it is small or insignificant. Ludwig confirms that the phrase is correct and usable.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a marginal delay" is a grammatically sound and usable expression for describing a slight or insignificant postponement. Ludwig confirms its correctness and provides examples primarily from scientific and news sources. While not exceedingly common, it serves the purpose of informing about a delay while minimizing its perceived impact. Alternatives like "a slight delay" or "a minor delay" offer similar meanings. When using this phrase, ensure the delay is genuinely small to maintain accuracy, and consider quantifying it when possible. Be mindful of overstating the impact of delays by carefully choosing "a marginal delay" only when appropriate.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a slight delay

This alternative replaces "marginal" with "slight", emphasizing the small degree of the delay.

a minor delay

Using "minor" instead of "marginal" highlights that the delay is not significant.

a negligible delay

This phrase suggests that the delay is so small it is almost not worth considering.

a minimal delay

Replaces "marginal" with "minimal", stressing that the delay is the smallest possible.

a short delay

This alternative focuses on the length of the delay being brief.

a small delay

Using "small" in place of "marginal" indicates the delay is not substantial.

a trivial delay

This emphasizes that the delay is unimportant or inconsequential.

a modest delay

Replacing "marginal" with "modest" implies the delay is moderate or limited.

a fleeting delay

This phrase suggests the delay is very brief and passes quickly.

a temporary setback

This broader phrase implies a brief halt or reversal, rather than a specific delay.

FAQs

How can I use "a marginal delay" in a sentence?

You can use "a marginal delay" to describe a slight postponement or slowing down. For example, "There was "a marginal delay" in the project's completion due to unforeseen circumstances."

What phrases are similar to "a marginal delay"?

Alternatives to "a marginal delay" include "a slight delay", "a minor delay", or "a minimal delay".

Is it appropriate to use "a marginal delay" in formal writing?

Yes, "a marginal delay" is suitable for formal writing when you need to describe a small or insignificant delay. Its formality is considered neutral.

What's the difference between "a marginal delay" and "a significant delay"?

"A marginal delay" indicates a small, often unimportant delay, while "a significant delay" suggests a substantial and impactful postponement.