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subliminal

[ suhb-lim-uh-nl ]
/ sʌbˈlɪm ə nl /
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adjective Psychology.
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.
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Origin of subliminal

1885–90; sub- + Latin līmin- (stem of līmen) threshold + -al1

OTHER WORDS FROM subliminal

sub·lim·i·nal·ly, adverbnon·sub·lim·i·nal, adjectivenon·sub·lim·i·nal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use subliminal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for subliminal

subliminal
/ (sʌbˈlɪmɪnəl) /

adjective
resulting from processes of which the individual is not aware
(of stimuli) less than the minimum intensity or duration required to elicit a response

Derived forms of subliminal

subliminally, adverb

Word Origin for subliminal

C19: from Latin sub- below + līmen threshold
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
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