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

When liminal first appeared in written use, it referred to something (such as a physical stimulus) which was just barely perceptible, or just barely capable of eliciting a response. This meaning is still in use today in constructions like "liminal auditory stimuli." The word comes from the noun limen, which refers to the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced. In its most common extended meaning now, it describes a state, place, or condition of transition, as in “the liminal zone between sleep and wakefulness.” The closely related word subliminal means “below a threshold”; it can describe something inadequate to produce a sensation or something operating below a threshold of consciousness.

Examples of liminal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Regardless of the vast cultural and secular perspectives on death and afterlife, objects are ultimately a tangible bridge between the living and the dead, artifacts that live on in the liminal space past our own mortality. —

Livia Caligor, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2024 The choices were all made to accentuate a timeless vibe, a party at an indeterminate rich person’s house in some liminal place between night and morning, inebriated and sober, loneliness and love. —

Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2024 Central Europe has long been a kind of liminal space, a fringe between empires. —

Chris Wallace, Travel + Leisure, 16 Oct. 2024 Since its inception, the Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album has been a liminal space in the genre, a place for music with mass appeal (like Beyoncé’s Lemonade, which won in 2017) as well as more lowkey sensations (like Lucky Daye’s Table for Two, 2022’s winner). —

Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for liminal