liminal

adjective

lim·​i·​nal ˈli-mə-nᵊl 

1

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

liminal visual stimuli

2

: 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

Did you know?

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

As long as readers continue to crave that liminal space between dreams and reality, Labyrinth and its imaginative literary descendants will endure. —Logan Karlie september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025

Inspired by Mexico’s Día de Muertos traditions and the Tibetan philosophy of bardo—the liminal space between life and afterlife—the property is designed as a sanctuary for reflection and renewal. —Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 27 Aug. 2025

Through the nineteen-seventies, as Reich and Philip Glass were causing a ruckus in the classical-music establishment, Riley became a liminal figure. —William Robin, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2025

August is fashion’s liminal space — think summer’s ease meets fall’s anticipation. —Angela Lei, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin limin-, limen threshold

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for liminal

• criminal
• noncriminal
• subliminal

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Medical Definition

liminal

adjective

lim·​i·​nal ˈlim-ən-ᵊl 

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

liminal visual stimuli