marginally adequate

USAGE SUMMARY

"marginally adequate" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe an action or result that barely meets the minimum requirement but is still acceptable. For example, "The student's performance was marginally adequate, but he still needs to do more to pass the class."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

A report released yesterday by the organization that operates the state's high-voltage power system said that the supply of electricity in the city should be "marginally adequate" if temperatures are normal.

The New York Times

Tuesday's report from the National Research Council, the research arm of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded that research laboratories at the 10 NASA centers for studying materials, aeronautics and other basic science were merely "marginally adequate".

The New York Times - Science

The cause is attributed to the marginally adequate blood supply in the periphery of the soft-tissue flap.

Insights into Imaging

Ninety percent of scans with a subjective image quality assessment of marginally adequate or worse have values for NECpatient of less than 37 Mcounts/m.

EJNMMI Research

Subjective assessments of image quality were made using a five-point scale: 1, seriously inadequate; 2, inadequate; 3, marginally adequate; 4, definitely adequate; and 5, more than adequate.

EJNMMI Research

A "coconut oil" diet (1/3 of fats were provided by coconut oil) was marginally adequate in n − 3 PUFAs and contained no DHA.

Neurotoxicology and Teratology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

MSM was marginally associated with adequate knowledge (OR=2.3 95% CI=0.9-5.9 CI=0.9-5.9report of herpes remanded significantly associated (of=5.0;95%CI=1.3-18.4) in multivariate logistic regression analysis.

BMC Infectious Diseases

In Kenya and Mozambique, where the reliability coefficents were only marginally lower than the generally accepted threshold for adequate internal consistency of 0.70, the MC-SDS could still be considered a reasonably good tool with acceptable reliability.

BMC Medical Research Methodology

The results showed that an adequate microwave pre-treatment (270 and 450 W) marginally improved bioethanol production, giving a slightly higher yield of the bioethanol produced (by 3.95%).

Biochemical Engineering Journal

Both models yielded adequate predictions, but the hybrid PLS-RBF model displayed marginally better prediction accuracies.

Minerals Engineering

Osteoporosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in older people. 1 Calcium supplements marginally reduce the risk of fracture, 2 3 and most guidelines recommend adequate calcium intake as an integral part of the prevention or treatment of osteoporosis.

British Medical Journal

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "marginally adequate", ensure the context clearly indicates what standard or requirement is being barely met. This provides clarity and avoids ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "marginally adequate" when the subject is clearly insufficient. The phrase implies a minimal level of acceptance, not complete failure.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "marginally adequate" functions as a compound adjective, modifying a noun by describing its quality or state as barely meeting the minimum requirements. As noted by Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

35%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "marginally adequate" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase to describe something that barely meets the minimum requirements. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability in diverse contexts, particularly in science and news media. When employing the phrase, ensure the context clearly specifies the standard in question to avoid ambiguity. Alternatives such as "barely sufficient" or "just adequate" can be considered for nuanced expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

barely sufficient

Emphasizes the minimal level of sufficiency.

just adequate

Highlights that the adequacy is at the lowest acceptable limit.

scarcely satisfactory

Suggests that the level of satisfaction is minimal.

minimally acceptable

Indicates that the level of acceptability is at its lowest.

passably good

Implies that the quality is acceptable but not excellent.

slightly acceptable

Underscores the small margin by which something is acceptable.

hardly up to par

Highlights the closeness to not meeting standards.

only just good enough

Clarifies the narrow margin by which something meets the required standard.

almost sufficient

Stresses the near sufficiency of something.

nominally adequate

Indicates that something is adequate in name only.

FAQs

How can I use "marginally adequate" in a sentence?

Use "marginally adequate" to describe something that barely meets the minimum requirements but is still acceptable. For example: "The student's performance was marginally adequate, but he needs to improve."

What are some alternatives to "marginally adequate"?

You can use alternatives like "barely sufficient", "just adequate", or "scarcely satisfactory" depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to say "marginally adequate" or "slightly adequate"?

"Marginally adequate" and "slightly adequate" are similar, but "marginally adequate" emphasizes meeting the minimum requirement, while "slightly adequate" focuses on a small degree of acceptability. The best choice depends on the specific context.

What is the difference between "marginally adequate" and "adequate"?

"Adequate" means something meets the required standard, while "marginally adequate" suggests it barely meets the standard. "Marginally adequate" implies a smaller degree of satisfaction compared to simply "adequate".