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.”

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).

A range of discursive strategies place the characters in gossip-stories (even in the category called "self-gossip") in marginalized, liminal, or uncertain social spaces.

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

Definition of 'liminal' liminal in British English (ˈlɪmɪnəl ) adjective psychology

Jun 5, 2025 · liminal (comparative more liminal, superlative most liminal) [W]ith the utmost strictness, we excommunicate digamists, as bringing infamy upon the Paraclete by the irregularity of their discipline.

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.

liminal is a borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element; originally modelled on a German lexical item. Etymons: Latin līmin-, līmen, ‑al suffix1.

Dec 3, 2025 · The word “liminal” is an adjective with two meanings. The first definition describes something occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.

Synonyms for LIMINAL: subtle, faint, unseen, slight, invisible, trivial, insignificant, intangible; Antonyms of LIMINAL: tangible, visible, audible, observable, recognizable, obvious, prominent, conspicuous