marginally satisfactory

USAGE SUMMARY

"marginally satisfactory" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to something that is just barely satisfactory, having only the bare minimum requirements or criteria to be considered satisfactory. For example, "The performance review noted that her work was marginally satisfactory, so she was given a regular raise instead of a higher bonus."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

The World Bank assessed its own performance in Indonesia as "marginally satisfactory" in the 1990's.

The New York Times - Books

However, results show that the competence levels are marginally satisfactory for all dimensions, considering the stressful environment of medical assistants.

Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training

Even though few attempts have been made to accelerate composting of coir pith such as inoculating with different microbes, inocula, improving the process design to ensure the success of oxygen distribution within the compost pile Ghosh et al. (2007), results attained were marginally satisfactory.

International Journal Of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture

We've been given some guidance to utilize the new companion site, http://theocnow.com/, to find information currently not available on the Daily Pilot site, but that's only a marginally satisfactory solution — I want my Daily Pilot!

Los Angeles Times

Despite this relative importance, investments in large ruminant development in both smallholder, livestock/crop farming systems and in pastoralist based systems have been perceived as only marginally satisfactory.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

At age 15, Alpha amounted to a marginally satisfactory reliability of.64 and a reassuring level of.76 for E and N, respectively.

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

73 There is reasonable evidence that the use of imiquimod for small (<2 cm) superficial BCC that occur other than on the face provides outcomes only marginally less satisfactory than surgery.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology

Cronbach's alpha coefficients were very satisfactory for most scales, although only marginally so for the "hospital environment" summated scale.

BMC Health Services Research

Moreover, the criticized indiscriminate long-term application of antibiotics is marginally effective [10] and raises the increasing concern of multi-drug resistant E. tarda strains [11], [12], leaving satisfactory control methods of the disease currently unavailable.

Plosone

Although the fit residual (2.66) for item 1 ' At the moment I take one day at a time' was marginally above the recommended cut point (2.5) it was retained, as the overall items fit residual SD was satisfactory.

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

marginally useful.

Harvard University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "marginally satisfactory" when a stronger term like "excellent" or "good" would be an overstatement, but a negative term like "unacceptable" would be too harsh.

Common error

Avoid using "marginally satisfactory" when the situation warrants a stronger positive assessment. Using it inappropriately can downplay a genuinely good result or create a misleading impression of adequacy.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "marginally satisfactory" primarily functions as an adjectival phrase used to describe something that meets the minimum requirements but is not particularly impressive. Ludwig AI confirms this usage through its real-world examples.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

17%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "marginally satisfactory" is an adjectival phrase that describes something meeting minimum requirements without being particularly impressive. Ludwig AI identifies it as grammatically correct, albeit not frequently used. It is most commonly found in Science and News & Media sources, carrying a neutral tone suitable for professional assessments. When using the phrase, ensure it accurately conveys that something barely meets the required standards, and be mindful of potential overstatements. Alternatives include "barely adequate" or "minimally acceptable", depending on the context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

barely adequate

Emphasizes the barely sufficient nature of the satisfaction.

minimally acceptable

Focuses on meeting the minimum requirements for acceptance.

just passable

Highlights the narrow margin by which something meets the standard.

scarcely sufficient

Stresses the lack of abundance or excess in meeting the needs.

only just satisfactory

Adds emphasis to the barely satisfactory nature of the subject.

somewhat acceptable

Indicates a slight degree of acceptance, implying reservation.

tolerably good

Suggests acceptance with a hint of reservation or compromise.

passably adequate

Implies that the adequacy is just enough to pass without excelling.

slightly adequate

Emphasizes the small degree to which something is adequate.

acceptable to a limited extent

Highlights the conditional or restricted nature of the acceptance.

FAQs

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

You can use "marginally satisfactory" to describe something that meets the minimum requirements but isn't particularly impressive. For example, "The student's performance was "marginally satisfactory", but there's room for improvement."

What are some alternatives to "marginally satisfactory"?

Alternatives to "marginally satisfactory" include "barely adequate", "minimally acceptable", or "just passable". The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

When is it appropriate to use "marginally satisfactory"?

It's appropriate to use "marginally satisfactory" when you want to convey that something meets the bare minimum requirements but isn't exceptional or particularly good. It's useful when a more positive term would be an overstatement, but a negative term would be too harsh.

What's the difference between "marginally satisfactory" and "satisfactory"?

"Satisfactory" implies a general level of acceptability, while "marginally satisfactory" suggests that something barely meets the required standards. "Satisfactory" is a more positive assessment than ""marginally satisfactory"".