as in marginal
located at or near a border
a frontier town with a reputation for vice and lawlessness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in border
a region along the dividing line between two countries
the Apaches were once feared on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico frontier
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in countryside
a rural region that forms the edge of the settled or developed part of a country
Alaska has been called America's last frontier
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frontier
IEEE Spectrum, 10 Feb. 2025
Wilder’s beloved children’s books formed the basis for the show, which depicted her family’s life on the American frontier, starting in the 1870s.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2025
All these factors will influence how the commercial frontier will play into what might be the next big conflict: Taiwan.
—Matt Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2025
Hezbollah must pull its forces north of Lebanon’s Litani River – a frontier beyond which the militant group was not supposed to have advanced under a 2006 United Nations Security Council resolution.
—Mick Krever, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for frontier 
Noun
His vision encourages researchers and engineers to push boundaries and explore new frontiers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Feb. 2025
Wilder’s beloved children’s books formed the basis for the show, which depicted her family’s life on the American frontier, starting in the 1870s.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2025
All these factors will influence how the commercial frontier will play into what might be the next big conflict: Taiwan.
—Matt Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2025
Hezbollah must pull its forces north of Lebanon’s Litani River – a frontier beyond which the militant group was not supposed to have advanced under a 2006 United Nations Security Council resolution.
—Mick Krever, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for frontier
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frontier
Adjective
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During World War II, the top American marginal tax rate reached an eye-popping 94 percent.—
Brian Klaas,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2025
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Still, these are marginal changes; the real problems are physical and intellectual fitness.—
Dexter Filkins,
The New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Conservation challenges Rescues of smuggled spider monkeys at the southern border have made headlines over the past months.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2025
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Mexico, for example, may have averted tariffs for now by agreeing to measures that are possibly not new to make its border more secure.—
Roger Trapp,
Forbes,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In addition to his retail space, King also operates a 7,000-square-foot factory nestled in the countryside of Florence, Italy, where local skilled artisans use timeless techniques.—
Tanya Benedicto Klich,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
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Caught amid the changing tides is a young boy named Xu Chuang (Wang Shang), who’s been sent to live with relatives in the countryside while his parents make ends meet elsewhere.—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The second album, due out in February, will be more country, soul and blues-based.—
Piet Levy,
Journal Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
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The musical marathon raced through genres from rock, reggaeton, hip-hop, country and pop thanks to Arcade Fire, Bad Bunny, Snoop Dogg, Jelly Roll and Robyn.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA TODAY,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Chaotic warrens in rundown backwaters, such as the desolate apartment complex where Beibei’s grandmother used to live, suggest neglect that’s far from benign.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
29 Jan. 2025
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Why are the Ukrainians risking lives and resources on a comparatively meaningless action in a sector that’s a relative backwater, when critical Ukrainian strongpoints in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast are under relentless Russian assault?—
David Axe,
Forbes,
22 Dec. 2024
Noun
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From obscurity to fame Pandas once roamed a vast swath of China, along with parts of northern Myanmar and Vietnam, but human encroachment and climate change shrank the habitat of the bamboo-munching bears to just six mountain ranges above the Sichuan basin, deep in China’s hinterland.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN,
26 Jan. 2025
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The Premier League will always be the priority, yet Emery views this competition as his managerial hinterland.—
Jacob Tanswell,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Three backcountry skiers were rescued last week near Stevens Pass in Washington state thanks to an emergency alert from an Apple iPhone—and the dramatic operation was captured on camera.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
28 Jan. 2025
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Once the backcountry skiers were located on the mountain, air support learned two of the three men were injured and could not walk.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Orange County Fire Authority firefighters saved a woman and man from the San Juan Creek in San Juan Capistrano, California after receiving reports at 1:42 a.m. that they were trapped in the water, holding onto trees and bushes, the fire department shared in a social media statement.—
Greta Cross,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2025
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These bushes stay green year-round despite getting almost no summer rainfall.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near frontier
Cite this Entry
“Frontier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frontier. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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