in limbo
Stuck between states
In limbo describes a state of uncertainty or suspension—waiting for a decision, resolution, or next step that hasn't come.
The phrase comes from the Catholic theological concept of a place between heaven and hell where unbaptized souls wait.
Now it's used broadly for any situation stuck in indefinite delay: The project has been in limbo since the funding fell through.
My visa application left me in limbo for months.
- uncertainNot firmly known
- up in the airUnresolved, awaiting determination
- suspendedHalted or hanging temporarily
- on holdTemporarily not proceeding
- waitingRemaining in expectation
waiting game · purgatory · stuck · treading water · floating · undecided · in the balance · pending · liminal · in between · betwixt · neither here nor there · nowhere · no man's land · stalled · frozen · holding · left hanging
- temporarytemporary, temp job, interim, temp worker, provisional
- waitingwait, await, bide, hold on, hang on
- Idle Phrasesidle hands, twiddling thumbs, killing time, at rest, doing nothing
- unusedunused, idle, untouched, vacant, empty
- Unknown Statusmissing, pending, undetermined, unconfirmed, unverified
- Biblical ExpressionsGarden of Eden, David and Goliath, Good Samaritan, prodigal son, forbidden fruit