subliminal

adjective

sub·lim·i·nal (ˌ)sə-ˈbli-mə-nᵊl

Synonyms of subliminal next

: inadequate to produce a sensation or a perception

: existing or functioning below the threshold of consciousness

the subliminal mind

subliminal advertising

subliminally adverb

Did you know?

Since the Latin word limen means "threshold", something subliminal exists just below the threshold of conscious awareness. The classic example of a subliminal message is "Eat popcorn" flashed on a movie screen so quickly that the audience doesn't even notice it consciously. Actually, no such advertising has ever been shown to work. But ordinary ads, both in print and on TV, do contain all kinds of images that shape our response to the product being advertised even when we don't realize it. Try looking carefully at some ads that you like, in order to discover how many ways they may be subliminally affecting you.

Example Sentences

The studio denied the existence of subliminal messages in the movie. I am skeptical that subliminal advertising actually works.

Recent Examples on the Web The steering has a dead zone on center that confuses the subliminal corrections essential for a non-fatiguing trip of any length. —

David E. Davis Jr., Car and Driver, 16 May 2023 The Apple logo prime led people to act more creatively on subsequent study tasks compared to subliminal IBM logo priming—but only when creativity was a part of the participants’ self-descriptions. —

Nita Farahany, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2023 Her wolf is a male one, created by a string of disturbing encounters with men and by a lifetime of messages—explicit and subliminal alike—that tell girls and women to perceive men as threats. —

Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2023 This is ostensibly a subliminal style of placement. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2023 So much of pop music is subliminal. —

New York Times, 14 Mar. 2022 In many cases the flicker is subliminal. —

IEEE Spectrum, 14 Jan. 2023 Then, after finding a job and meeting up with fellow construction worker Frank (Keith David), Nada happens to stroll past a television broadcast where a hacker starts talking about an alien signal that's enslaving the population of the planet through the use of subliminal messages. —

Will Harris, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2022 The subliminal message is of trouble in paradise. —

Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subliminal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.