liminal
/ˈlɪmɪnəl/
adjective
- Relating to a transitional or in-between stage, especially one that is uncertain or ambiguous.
- Travelers often feel liminal during long layovers in unfamiliar airports.
- The character exists in a liminal space between dreams and reality.
- Graduation is a liminal moment between school and adult life.
- Barely perceptible; at or near a threshold of sensation or awareness.
- The sound was so faint it was liminal, almost impossible to hear.
- The light in the room was liminal, just enough to see shapes but not details.
- She felt a liminal sense of unease, not strong enough to name.
Synonyms
noun
- A transitional or threshold state, especially in psychology or anthropology.
- The ritual marks a liminal where participants leave their old identity behind.
- Adolescence is often described as a liminal between childhood and adulthood.
- In the story, the forest represents a liminal between the human world and the magical one.