liminal

adjective

lim·​i·​nal ˈli-mə-nᵊl 

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

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

Did you know?

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

The stage is bare, and the oligarch, who played an instrumental role in Vladimir Putin’s rise to power, speaks to us from a liminal space. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024

Free Daily and Monthly Horoscopes Read the full Pisces Daily Horoscope Aries (March 21 - April 19) Enter into the liminal. —USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024

Conceivably, Pissarro would have arrived at those croton hues without his Caribbean childhood, but as a metaphor the idea is sound: Pissarro’s island identity was essential to his always liminal life. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023

In this case, the veteran horror director turned a liminal but limited movie (1951's The Thing From Another World) into a haunting effects extravaganza. —Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 2 Oct. 2023

The closing of a letter suits the liminal space of the benediction. —Julia Cho, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2024

In the liminal space of early teenhood—a time of feeling awkward, misunderstood, and largely powerless—having a job can grant you dignity. —Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2024

Patrick seems to exist in a liminal space between the natural and the supernatural, legend and fact. —Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024

Through an embodied camera eye that moves freely in the in-between place that is an alley connecting two streets, Fortune evokes a sense of magical realism and offers texture to the meditation on the Chinese American identity, which can also be characterized as a liminal space. —Addie Morfoot, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin limin-, limen threshold

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Medical Definition

liminal

adjective

lim·​i·​nal ˈlim-ən-ᵊl 

: of, relating to, or situated at a sensory threshold : barely perceptible or capable of eliciting a response

liminal visual stimuli