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Only on the fringes, insignificant, or of little importance. It describes something that is not at the center of attention or importance.
Der finanzielle Gewinn war so marginal, dass er den Aufwand kaum rechtfertigte.
The financial gain was so marginal that it hardly justified the effort.
The word 'marginal' is related to the noun 'die Marge' (margin). Both terms relate to the idea of an 'edge' or a 'limit'. A Marge is a margin, for example a profit margin, and something that is marginal lies on the edge of importance.
Der Gewinn war nur marginal, die Marge war also sehr klein.
The profit was only marginal, so the margin was very small.
In its general meaning of 'unwesentlich' (insignificant), 'marginal' belongs to elevated written language or specialized language. It is rarely used in normal everyday conversation.
Seine Rolle in dem Projekt war nur marginal.
His role in the project was only marginal.
For the meaning 'unwesentlich' (insignificant), 'marginal' is often combined with nouns that describe a size or change. Common collocations are 'ein marginaler Unterschied' (a marginal difference), 'eine marginale Verbesserung' (a marginal improvement), or 'nur marginale Auswirkungen' (only marginal effects).
Zwischen den beiden Produkten gibt es nur einen marginalen Unterschied.
There is only a marginal difference between the two products.
You can recognize the economics meaning from the context. If you read words like 'Kosten' (costs), 'Nutzen' (benefit), or 'Produktion' (production), the specific meaning 'concerning a small change' is meant.
Ökonomen analysieren oft den marginalen Nutzen einer zusätzlichen Einheit.
Economists often analyze the marginal benefit of an additional unit.
essential / significantly
'wesentlich' and 'marginal' form a contrast when it comes to importance or size. 'wesentlich' means that something is important, decisive, or significant. 'marginal' means that something is only very small, secondary, or hardly important. In a report, a significant difference can change the decision. A marginal difference, on the other hand, is so small that it usually hardly matters.
Der Unterschied zwischen den beiden Angeboten ist nur marginal.
The difference between the two offers is only marginal.
Nach dem Training fühlt sich Lisa wesentlich fitter.
After the training, Lisa feels significantly fitter.