liminal
The word "liminal" describes a state or place that serves as a boundary or a transition between two distinct points. It captures the feeling of being "in-between"—not quite where you started, but not yet arrived at your destination. Imagine standing in a lonely airport terminal at 3:00 AM or walking through an empty hallway; it is the physical or psychological space of the threshold. In usage, it is frequently paired with "space" to describe environments that feel eerie, nostalgic, or unsettling because they lack their usual human activity. While technically a formal term used in anthropology to describe rites of passage, it has become popular in everyday speech to describe the uncanny feeling of quiet, transitional spaces.
In conversation
Discussing a dream
I had the strangest dream about a deserted shopping mall.
I had the strangest dream about a deserted shopping mall.
That sounds like a classic liminal space. It’s always so unsettling when there's no one around.
That sounds like a classic liminal space. It’s always so unsettling when there's no one around.
Used here to describe the eerie quality of an empty public building.
Reflecting on a life change
I’ve quit my job, but I haven't started the new one yet. I feel like I'm in limbo.
I’ve quit my job, but I haven't started the new one yet. I feel like I'm in limbo.
It's definitely a liminal period for you. Use this time to rest before the next chapter begins.
It's definitely a liminal period for you. Use this time to rest before the next chapter begins.
Shows the metaphorical use of the word to describe a life transition.
Examples
The hallway felt liminal, like a bridge to somewhere else.
The hallway felt liminal, like a bridge to somewhere else.
Adolescence is a liminal phase between childhood and adulthood.
Adolescence is a liminal phase between childhood and adulthood.
The photograph captured the liminal quality of the dusk, where day dissolves into night.
The photograph captured the liminal quality of the dusk, where day dissolves into night.
