Borderline
Borderline adverb - Very close to but not completely.
Usage example: your answer was borderline rude, so I would advise you to be more diplomatic in the future
Plain is an antonym for borderline.
Nearby Words: border, borderland
Plain
Both words in one sentence
- The Baudelaires (and the Quagmires) in A Series of Unfortunate Events collectively fill this role, surrounded as they are by corrupt, foolish, borderline Ax-Crazy, and just plain unpleasant people.
Source: Only Sane Man / Literature - It's on the borderline of being just plain bad, but the angst ridden lyrics that have no particular meter or rhyme scheme, the "harmonies" in the chorus, and the fact that the drummer is lagging behind everyone else throughout the entire song make it at least hilariously awful.
Source: So Bad Its Good / Music - Eric turned from a relatively normal teenager into an absolute nerd; Kelso went from awkward and indecisive to plain stupid; Donna became so aggressive that she was a borderline Straw Feminist; and Fez, formerly a classic desperate virgin, turned into a pervert.
Source: Flanderization / Live-Action TV
Cite this Source
Plain and Borderline. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/borderline/plain
Borderline & Plain. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/borderline/plain>.
Plain or Borderline. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/borderline/plain.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "borderline" and "plain" have occurred on timeline