Liminal is a word for the in-between. It describes states, times, spaces, etc., that exist at a point of change—a metaphorical threshold—as in “the liminal zone between sleep and wakefulness.”

LIMINAL definition: of, relating to, or situated at the limen, the threshold at which a stimulus begins to produce an effect. See examples of liminal used in a sentence.

Jun 5, 2025 · Adjective liminal (comparative more liminal, superlative most liminal) Of or pertaining to an entrance or threshold. [from late 19th c.] Synonym: thresholdlike

Somewhere between sanctioned and unsanctioned brutality, there is a liminal kind, officially condemned but operating in the service of sanctioned power.

Definition of liminal adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

During a rite's liminal stage, participants "stand at the threshold" [3] between their previous way of structuring their identity, time, or community, and a new way (which completing the rite establishes).

liminal in American English (ˈlɪmɪnəl , ˈlaɪmɪnəl ) adjective 1. physiology and psychology

What is the etymology of the adjective liminal? liminal is a borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element; originally modelled on a German lexical item.

Jan 13, 2026 · To be in a liminal space means to be on the precipice of something new but not quite there yet. The word "liminal" comes from the Latin word “limen,” which means threshold.

Sep 15, 2023 · Nihilism makes it seem like the universe is broken and the only solutions are personal — whether that's Existentialism or Stoicism, Buddhist meditation or Jungian archetypes. But the truth is …