safety margin
Room for error
A safety margin is the buffer between what's required and what's provided—extra capacity built in to account for uncertainty or error.
Engineers design bridges with safety margins so they can handle loads beyond expected use.
The term extends to any cushion against failure: Leave a safety margin in your travel time.
Also called margin of safety.
- bufferProtective intermediate space
- cushionStuffed fabric for comfort
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
- leewayPermissible margin of freedom
- clearancePermitted passage or approval
slack · headroom · wiggle room · room to spare · padding · reserve · fallback · threshold · redundancy · backup · overage · allowance · play · breathing room · comfort zone · insurance · guardrail · edge
- engineeringengineers, civil engineering, engineering, electrical engineering, blueprint
- marginsborder, edge, fringe, periphery, gutter
- buffer zonesbuffer zone, buffer state, buffer strip, DMZ, demilitarized zone
- dose limitsLD50, lethal dose, toxic dose, maximum dose, tolerance level
- Playing it safecaution, prudence, baby steps, waiting, hesitation
- tolerancetolerance, forbearance, patience, understanding, empathy
safety margindeficit
Amount still owed
shortfall · danger zone · vulnerability · exposure · risk
safety marginbare minimum
Smallest acceptable quantity
just enough · photo finish · down to the wire · hairsbreadth · by a whisker
safety margindeficit
Amount still owed
shortfall · bare minimum · zero tolerance · running on empty · scraping by
safety, margin, safe, safely, unsafe, safeness, safeguard, safekeeping, marginal