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

According to Paul Gowder, professor of law at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, airports are liminal spaces for immigrants where constitutional protections thin out.

From Salon

Since I’d been finding myself in various Chinatowns both as a liminal space and a state of mind, I told them I’d claim it, even though it was just as mysterious to me.

From Los Angeles Times

In the liminal space after combat, Mr. Hertling played volleyball with Iraqi deserters.

From The Wall Street Journal

It took me a lot of work to understand how beautiful occupying that liminal space is instead.

From Los Angeles Times

My own favorite LLM word is liminal, which ChatGPT, when pressed, claims the “culture” started overusing first.

From The Wall Street Journal