as in subtle
barely perceptible by a sense or by the mind
They studied how the subjects were affected by different sounds played at liminal intensity.
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Recent Examples of liminal
The lower levels of the parking garage are sterile and lifeless — a liminal space of flickering lights and zero cars.
—
Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2025
This notion of the border as liminal and inchoate sits at the center of Brother Brontë.
—David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2025
While Nick’s American passport afforded him easy passage home, Mo’s liminal immigration status not only complicated his return to Houston but jeopardized his asylum case.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 3 Feb. 2025
Reese and Friedman have discarded the bulk of the paper’s old typesetting equipment, but the interior still has the cozy, liminal atmosphere of a place where people might drop in unannounced to lodge a complaint or tell their life story, both of which are routine occurrences at the Civic.
—Chelsea Edgar, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liminal
Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2025
This notion of the border as liminal and inchoate sits at the center of Brother Brontë.
—David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2025
While Nick’s American passport afforded him easy passage home, Mo’s liminal immigration status not only complicated his return to Houston but jeopardized his asylum case.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 3 Feb. 2025
Reese and Friedman have discarded the bulk of the paper’s old typesetting equipment, but the interior still has the cozy, liminal atmosphere of a place where people might drop in unannounced to lodge a complaint or tell their life story, both of which are routine occurrences at the Civic.
—Chelsea Edgar, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for liminal
Adjective
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Shannon Riley, founder and CEO of Building 180 – an art production and consulting agency that arranged the installation – told USA TODAY battery and funding reasons limit the subtle chest motions that mimic breathing to an hour a day, from 5-6 p.m.—
Jorge L. Ortiz,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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Here, the power lies in subtle luxury—heritage made tangible.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Oscar nominee's glam included a soft-bronzed makeup look, with a faint pink blush and a light mauve lipstick.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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The Accountant 2, arriving this week some eight long years after the original, does not earn even that faintest of praise.—
A.A. Dowd,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Validate predictions by running simulations of the model on unseen data to ensure accuracy beyond training sets.—
Devadas Pattathil,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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During their meeting, Xi told Sanchez that the world is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Not when your opponent is spending its each and every waking moment scouring film for even the slightest advantage.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2025
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Five of the Fed’s districts saw slight growth in economic activity, four districts had slight to modest declines and three reported relatively unchanged trends since the central bank’s previous release in early March.—
Melissa Repko,Michael Wayland,Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Level up your LinkedIn by fixing these invisible barriers Your LinkedIn growth depends on mastering these fundamental elements that most people miss.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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The female moths deposit their almost invisible eggs in places where spider webs are likely to form, especially rotten logs, tree hollows and rock cavities.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Liminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/liminal. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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