liminal

adjective

Definition of liminalnext
as in subtle
barely perceptible by a sense or by the mind They studied how the subjects were affected by different sounds played at liminal intensity.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of liminal The tomb’s entrance passage, with narrowing walls and descending axis, creates a liminal stage to orient the body before entering the burial chamber. — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026 If the liminal atmosphere in Backrooms, enhanced by the cinematography of Jeremy Cox, gave you a sense of dread, his camera work on Concrete Turned to Sand will take you into a very different space – oyster farms in British Columbia, Canada. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026 This city is already a freaky liminal space full of snaking pathways that are almost incomprehensible. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026 There’s a liminal place between the outside of the glass and the reflecting material. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for liminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liminal
  1. subtle
  2. faint
  3. unseen
  4. slight
  5. invisible
Adjective
  • Poindexter featured his three daughters in his first campaign advertisement for the general election, taking a subtle dig at Miller.
    — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Later still, we are introduced to Satoko Iijima (Ishida), who again shares many defining features with her two namesakes, albeit with just enough subtle differences to keep the audience on the back foot.
    — James Marsh, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of subtle
Adjective
  • And according to Nanayakkara, this in turn raises the possibility that even older (and fainter) FRBs have passed by Earth unnoticed.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Its exceptional transparency can reveal faint stars near the threshold of naked-eye visibility.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of faint
Adjective
  • To offer that vision, the designers skipped bookshelves and built an octagonal conversation pit with a circular skylight above the desk, echoing a skylight over the real house’s unseen indoor pool.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Cognitive concentration presents an even greater challenge because adverse changes can go unseen for an indeterminate amount of time.
    — Swati Deepak Kumar, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of unseen
Adjective
  • Valadao, a Republican from Hanford, has won the seat in six of the last seven elections despite the district’s slight Democratic tilt.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In their paper from September, Minzer and his colleagues proved a slight variant of Khot’s second conjecture that has nearly the same consequences.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • Unlike a conventional tattoo, whose visible design generally remains until the pigment is removed or altered, PhotoTat lets users switch their tattoos between coloured and nearly invisible states.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Yet as midterm elections draw near, the movement is nearly invisible on the campaign trail and struggling to find a financial or messaging foothold in key races.
    — Isabella Cueto, STAT, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of invisible

Browse Nearby Words

limeys
liminal
limit
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Cite this Entry

“Liminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liminal. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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