as in simple
functioning outside the area of conscious awareness but acting to influence one's thoughts or feelings
A subliminal image was embedded in the advertisement. The subliminal sounds supposedly aid in getting to sleep, but I am skeptical.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subliminal
In the midst of the chaos of her name being thrown around, GloRilla fired off a subliminal tweet about a certain guy blowing up her phone, which many thought was about Thug.
—
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Sep. 2025
Here, the affection is not romantic but familial, flowing in soft, subliminal waves between parents and their adult children.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
The researchers called the strange effect subliminal learning.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Is this just a fun music video or subliminal mind prep for an upcoming era?
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subliminal
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Sep. 2025
Here, the affection is not romantic but familial, flowing in soft, subliminal waves between parents and their adult children.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 31 Aug. 2025
The researchers called the strange effect subliminal learning.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Is this just a fun music video or subliminal mind prep for an upcoming era?
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subliminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subliminal
Adjective
-
In such a world, simple answers won’t do; only the courage to ask the hardest questions will push us forward.—
Daphne Koller,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Knox, who committed to wrestle at Rutgers University, and his dad were initially charged with simple assault for purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury after a brawl broke out at Collingswood High School on February.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
One way engineers capture this bottleneck is through work density – the amount of mechanical energy an actuator can deliver per unit volume, expressed in kilojoules per cubic meter.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Things got off to an inauspicious start when Air Force One was turned back by mechanical issues.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Organizations should approach this evaluation with realistic expectations about the supervision requirements and plan for hybrid workflows where human operators correct and guide robotic systems through their initial learning phases.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Daniel Chong directs the tale about a teenage animal lover who uses technology to place her consciousness into a robotic beaver in order to uncover mysteries within the animal world.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This week’s Capricorn New Moon on January 18th activates your rest, healing, and subconscious sector, signaling a powerful reset happening behind the scenes.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Stewart has explained the film as being designed as a reflective experience for the audience that unflinchingly shows the subconscious ways memory lives within the human body.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Car lots, mechanic shops, and cafes line a forlorn stretch of Route 66 in central Amarillo, but vibrant art galleries, antique shops, restaurants, a bookstore, and record shop are concentrated in a lively 13-block strip of the famed highway west of the central business district.—
Pam LeBlanc,
Southern Living,
3 Jan. 2026
-
In June 2020, the 72-year-old former police officer and mechanic pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder and other crimes in order to avoid the death penalty.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
28 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Police reportedly said Camferdam is the individual seen in the now-viral video stomping on Epperson’s head, which ultimately left him unconscious.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The 50-year-old woman who perished, and whose identity was not immediately released, was found unconscious and unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene, an NYPD spokesperson said.—
Theodore Parisienne,
New York Daily News,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Or just a reflex mean-reversion trade in some laggard sectors at a time when the AI theme has become more fragmented and treacherous?—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
4 Dec. 2025
-
As a result, reflex time — a mechanic that emulated the slow-motion gunfights of Hard Boiled or The Matrix, or bullet time from Remedy’s Max Payne (2001) — would be a defining aspect of F.E.A.R.’s gameplay.—
Will Borger,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Since last summer, police in Northern California have been investigating a hidden camera found in a public bathroom at a Kaiser Medical Center in Vallejo.—
Jeff Nguyen,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
There is little doubt that this is a rapidly developing field and that there are tremendous upsides to be had, but at the same time, regrettably, hidden risks and outright gotchas come into these endeavors, too.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subliminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subliminal. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
