liminal

adjective

lim·​i·​nal ˈli-mə-nᵊl How to pronounce liminal (audio)
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 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Released in January, Great Doubt felt more vital with each passing month, as 2024 became even more unsettled and liminal. Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024 Inspired by creepypastas, liminal spaces and films such as the Blair Witch Project, analog horror has been steadily becoming more mainstream over the years, and YouTube has played a major part in its rise. Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024 For the installation-performance hybrid, guests were directed to the exhibition space, a waiting room replica, by ushers who never returned to collect them, producing the banal anxiety of liminal, unstructured time. Phoebe Chen, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2024 What Ryan showed us all [so far] was a sort of nightmare, fever dream, surreal liminal version of our reality. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for liminal 

Word History

Etymology

Latin limin-, limen threshold

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of liminal was in 1875

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near liminal

Cite this Entry

“Liminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liminal. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

liminal

adjective
lim·​i·​nal ˈlim-ən-ᵊl How to pronounce liminal (audio)
: of, relating to, or situated at a sensory threshold : barely perceptible or capable of eliciting a response
liminal visual stimuli

More from Merriam-Webster on liminal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!