liminal

American  

[lim-uh-nl] / ˈlɪm ə nl /

adjective

1. Psychology. of, relating to, or situated at the limen, the threshold at which a stimulus begins to produce an effect.

   The subjects' responses to liminal stimulation differed, with some responding and some not.

2. of or relating to a transitional or intermediate state, stage, or period.

   Confusion can strike in the liminal states between waking and sleeping.

   The liminal period between adolescence and adulthood is a challenging place to be.

   Edwardian servants were liminal figures, existing in both upper- and lower-class society.

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liminal British  

/ ˈlɪmɪnəl /

adjective

1. psychol relating to the point (or threshold) beyond which a sensation becomes too faint to be experienced

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Usage

What does liminal mean? Liminal is an adjective that’s used to describe things that exist at the threshold (or border) between one thing and another.In psychology and physiology, the word more specifically means relating to the point (or threshold) beyond which a sensation becomes too faint to be experienced. In this way, liminal is an adjective form of the noun limen, which refers to this threshold.Example: After graduation, many students find themselves in a liminal state before they’re fully established in the workplace.

Etymology

Origin of liminal

First recorded in 1875–80; from Latin līmin- (stem of līmen ) “threshold, lintel, sill” + -al ¹

Example Sentences

There’s a delicious little window between arrivals and the meal itself—a liminal pocket of time that begs for something bubbly and welcoming.

From Salon

That moment, the liminal space between solid and void, no matter the walker’s age, is magical — but perhaps especially so when the walker is a septuagenarian.

From Washington Post

Labeling someone or something "woke" allows Republicans to live in a liminal space, communicating a vile belief to their fellow travelers while maintaining that's not what they meant at all.

From Salon

It exists in an uneasy, liminal sort of zone, somewhere between a youth competition and an adult one, between authentic and ersatz.

From New York Times

“I’m always interested in characters who are a little bit on the margins of the dominant culture, whatever that culture might be, or observers who occupy this liminal space,” says the author.

From Los Angeles Times