liminal

adjective

lim·i·nal ˈli-mə-nᵊl

Synonyms of liminal next

: of, relating to, or situated at a sensory threshold : barely perceptible or capable of eliciting a response

liminal visual stimuli

: of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : in-between, transitional

… in the liminal state between life and death.—

Deborah Jowitt

liminality

ˌli-mə-ˈna-lə-tē

noun

plural liminalities

The market, standing between the sacred and secular, the mundane and exotic, and the local and global, has always been a place of liminality … —

Jon Goss

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Get in Between Liminal

Liminal is a word for the in-between. It describes states, times, spaces, etc., that exist at a point of change—a metaphorical threshold—as in “the liminal zone between sleep and wakefulness.” The idea of a threshold is at the word’s root; it comes from Latin limen, meaning “threshold.” In technical use liminal means “barely perceptible” or “barely capable of eliciting a response,” and it has a familiar partner with a related meaning: subliminal can mean “inadequate to produce a sensation or a perception,” though it more often means “existing or functioning below the threshold of consciousness.” Limen has served as the basis for a number of other English words, including eliminate (“to cast out”), sublime (“lofty in conception or expression”), preliminary (“introductory”), and the woefully underused postliminary (“subsequent”).

Examples of liminal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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His curiosity was the central animating force of his remarkable practice, powering his impulse to slow things down, look more carefully at the world, and explore the liminal space between dreaming and waking. —

David A. Ross, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2025 Imaginary Books is an exhibition of a library that might exist but doesn’t, brought into a liminal state of being through a thrilling combination of craftmanship and imagination. —

Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024 Loose, liminal time with others used to be baked into life. —

Lauren Mazzo, SELF, 23 Dec. 2024 For years, the filmography of Meyer has languished in a liminal space between lost and found — Gregory described it as being out of circulation. —

Rich Juzwiak, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for liminal