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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Recent Examples of liminal
You aren’t staying confined and that’s the idea of the club as a liminal or in-between space.
—
Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Cosmic beings, this week opens with the Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio, a liminal checkpoint between what has already climaxed and what is about to be reborn.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 8 Feb. 2026
In that liminal space, Marczak gives the audience a complete narrative of a family in turmoil and a man conflicted.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
Mostly, Ratner captures his subject walking from liminal place to liminal place in five-inch heels, the camera trailing her like a lap dog.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for liminal
Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Cosmic beings, this week opens with the Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio, a liminal checkpoint between what has already climaxed and what is about to be reborn.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 8 Feb. 2026
In that liminal space, Marczak gives the audience a complete narrative of a family in turmoil and a man conflicted.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 6 Feb. 2026
Mostly, Ratner captures his subject walking from liminal place to liminal place in five-inch heels, the camera trailing her like a lap dog.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for liminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liminal
Adjective
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The rooms Hotel Thaynes has 128 guest rooms, including six king suites, each designed for simple mountain stays with subtle pops of colors.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 Mar. 2026
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But eventually, nonstop quips give way to subtle observations on class, power, and, particularly during its second season, when Killface and Crews run opposing campaigns for president, the futility of electoral politics.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The goal is to make the satellites too faint for the human eye and telescopes to see.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
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It's achieved substantial improvements in tasks like reconstructing the universe’s initial conditions, cleaning up foreground contamination from faint cosmic signals, and fine-tuning physics in N-body simulations.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
On the Circle of Hoof side, reluctant leader Hunter Greene harbors secrets about the fate of the group’s vanished co-founder Sebastian, whose unseen presence looms over every ritual and gathering.—
Melinda Sheckells,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
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Rather, our liberties would be saved by the ragtag battalions of night people doing their tireless work, unpaid, unheralded, and largely unseen.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Monday and Wednesday have a slight chance of showers, the forecast showed.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Mar. 2026
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Big Blue will have to overcome a slight halftime deficit to avoid a first-round upset.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Studies show the online dating space is less welcoming for Black women willing to try it — experiences include misogynoir, racial fetishes and microaggressions, in addition to biased dating app algorithms that leave many feeling invisible, less desirable and lonely.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
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The idea of weaponizing invisible characters isn’t new.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Liminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liminal. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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