a marginal update

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a marginal update" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a small or minor change or improvement made to something, such as a document, software, or process. Example: "The team implemented a marginal update to the software to fix a few minor bugs."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Internally, Milne says the thought process around mobile, where apps haven't been updated in half a year or more, is: "let's not do a marginal update, let's do something meaningful here".

TechCrunch

Since San Francisco is a high-tech town, "Two Women" might best be thought of as "Tosca 2.0," a marginal update and major repackaging of Puccini's original.

Los Angeles Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

Hence, the joint iterative procedure is followed by a marginal iterative procedure (which updates only one prior) and together they provide estimates of τ, α1, α2, F NP and the posteriors of β i 2 treat.

BMC Medical Genomics

Consequently Bayesian update techniques usually show a marginal effect of the result of visual inspections on the reliability of structures with respect to fatigue failure.

International Journal of Fatigue

Considering Figures 6 and 7, a marginal difference in throughput and active set update rate for outdoor UEs can be observed for both presented values of α.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

Updating the model parameters to the more complete HMD provides only a marginal improvement in terms of root-mean squared error (RMSE).

Genus

The extensive publicity when the updated NICE clinical guideline was published focused largely on chemoprevention and resulted in only a marginal increase in referrals relating to use of tamoxifen or raloxifene.

Breast Cancer Research

It was a marginal call.

The Guardian - Sport

Later came co-firing, a marginal change.

The Economist

Doping is not a marginal gain.

Independent

Setanta was always a marginal, weak competitor.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a marginal update", ensure the context clearly indicates that the change is indeed small and not a significant overhaul. This will avoid misleading your audience about the extent of the update.

Common error

Avoid using "a marginal update" when the changes are substantial. Using it in such cases can diminish the perceived value of the work and mislead the audience about the true nature of the improvements.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a marginal update" functions as a noun phrase, where "marginal" modifies the noun "update". It describes the nature and extent of the update, indicating that it is small or insignificant. Ludwig's examples show it's used to describe minor improvements in software and repackaging of existing works.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

16%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Reference

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a marginal update" is a noun phrase used to describe a small or insignificant change. As Ludwig AI indicates, the phrase is grammatically sound and appears in both news and scientific contexts. When using the phrase, it's crucial to ensure the context reflects the limited scope of the update to avoid misleading the audience. Related alternatives include phrases such as "a slight modification" or "a minor revision". The phrase is relatively uncommon, with its usage spanning across news, scientific, and business domains.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a slight modification

Replaces "update" with a more general term, "modification", implying a small change.

a minor revision

Substitutes "update" with "revision", indicating a small amendment or correction.

a small adjustment

Uses "adjustment" instead of "update", suggesting a minor alteration to improve something.

a modest improvement

Focuses on the positive aspect of the change, using "improvement" to denote a slight enhancement.

a negligible change

Emphasizes the insignificance of the change, highlighting its minimal impact.

an incremental upgrade

Highlights the gradual nature of the change, suggesting a small step forward.

a limited alteration

Emphasizes the restricted scope of the change, indicating it's not extensive.

a surface-level modification

Indicates that the change is only superficial and doesn't affect deeper aspects.

a cosmetic fix

Implies the update is mainly aesthetic and doesn't address fundamental issues.

a token adjustment

Suggests the update is symbolic or minimal, perhaps done more for appearance than substance.

FAQs

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

You can use "a marginal update" to describe a small improvement or change, for instance: "The software received "a marginal update" to fix minor bugs."

What's a good alternative to "a marginal update"?

Alternatives include "a slight modification", "a minor revision", or "a small adjustment", depending on the context.

When is it appropriate to use "a marginal update"?

Use "a marginal update" when the changes are small, incremental, and don't represent a major overhaul or significant improvement.

Is "a marginal update" the same as "a significant update"?

No, "a marginal update" implies a small, relatively unimportant change, whereas "a significant update" indicates a major, impactful change.