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
What begins as a skeptical pursuit of Richard’s double quickly devolves into an all-consuming obsession, unraveling Clare’s grip on reality and pulling her into a liminal nightmare where she is suspended between the living and the dead.
—
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Airports themselves, liminal spaces that, normally, are pleasantly severed from the lurches of the world, spun out, too.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
Mantello uses a 1948 draft of Arthur Miller’s script to reimagine the American masterpiece as a psychological drama unfolding in liminal space rather than a literal family home.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Kids can exist in this in-between place full of uncertainty and porousness and ambiguity and all kinds of liminal stuff that dead dull finished grown-ups find difficult to endure.
—Mac Barnett, Longreads, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for liminal
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Airports themselves, liminal spaces that, normally, are pleasantly severed from the lurches of the world, spun out, too.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
Mantello uses a 1948 draft of Arthur Miller’s script to reimagine the American masterpiece as a psychological drama unfolding in liminal space rather than a literal family home.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Kids can exist in this in-between place full of uncertainty and porousness and ambiguity and all kinds of liminal stuff that dead dull finished grown-ups find difficult to endure.
—Mac Barnett, Longreads, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for liminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liminal
Adjective
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The perpetual buzz of mining bees mingled with the shuffle of rabbits through the bushes, woodpeckers’ rapid-fire drilling, and the hard-staccato tchack, tchack, tchack of ravenlike birds known as jackdaws, creating a subtle symphony.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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Look for alcohol-free, subtle formulas the goal is a whisper of fragrance, not a perfume cloud that announces itself from across the room.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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If the aurora is faint, a smartphone camera can often reveal colors and structures that are difficult to see with the naked eye, during weaker displays.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
8 June 2026
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All there is to Lyra is Vega and a small parallelogram of fainter stars to the lower right.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
Adjective
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With the myth of Medea as a burning thematic wire, and through the metaphor of bloody dog fights, the novel burns with the rage and despair of those who remain unseen.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
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This could be taken as the view of someone escaping enslavement by jumping overboard during the Middle Passage, until an unseen narrator praises Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the New World.—
Greg Allen,
ARTnews.com,
7 June 2026
Adjective
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The 37 mm case, integrated bracelet, and dial are crafted in 18-karat gold, with the eight white-gold screws on the bezel providing only the slightest bit of contrast.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
6 June 2026
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Pivoting effortlessly from family man to ruthless felon, Cranston once again puts his acting range on full display, with a nuanced performance that is underscored by the knowledge that the slightest misstep could cost him — and his family — their lives.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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This is where constellations like Leo, Virgo and Coma Berenices host dozens of faint galaxies — most invisible to the naked eye and small optical-only telescopes, even in excellent conditions.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
6 June 2026
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The injury — raw, oozing, angry — had turned our lives upside down, but it was rendered invisible in the institutional review.—
Nisha Narayanan,
STAT,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Liminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liminal. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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