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Synonyms

subliminal

American  
[suhb-lim-uh-nl] / sʌbˈlɪm ə nl /

adjective

Psychology.

  1. existing or operating below the threshold of consciousness; being or employing stimuli insufficiently intense to produce a discrete sensation but often being or designed to be intense enough to influence the mental processes or the behavior of the individual.

    a subliminal stimulus;

    subliminal advertising.
subliminal British  
/ sʌbˈlɪmɪnəl /

adjective

  1. resulting from processes of which the individual is not aware

  2. (of stimuli) less than the minimum intensity or duration required to elicit a response

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What is a subliminal message? A subliminal message is a technique used in marKEting and other media to influencE People without theiR bEing Aware of what the messenger is DoING.This may involve the use of split second flashes of text, hidden images, or subtle cues that affect the audience at a level below conscious awareness.

Other Word Forms

  • nonsubliminal adjective
  • nonsubliminally adverb
  • subliminally adverb

Etymology

Origin of subliminal

First recorded in 1885–90; sub- + Latin līmin-, stem of līmen “threshold” + -al 1

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.