subliminal
Plural: subliminals
Adjective Satellite
- below the threshold of conscious perception
Adj
- Of a stimulus: below the limen or threshold of conscious perception, especially if still able to produce a response; also (generally), below the threshold where a response can be produced.
- Without directed awareness or thought; subconscious (dated), unconscious.
- Of an advertisement, a message, etc.: conveyed in a manner that a person is unaware of being influenced by it.
Noun
- Chiefly preceded by the: something which is below the limen or threshold of conscious perception.
- Chiefly preceded by the: the subconscious (dated) or unconscious self.
- An advertisement, a message, etc., which is conveyed in a manner that a person is unaware of being influenced by it.
Origin / Etymology
PIE word
*upó
The adjective is derived from sub- (prefix meaning ‘beneath, under’) + liminal (“of or pertaining to an entrance or threshold”) (from Latin līminālis, from līmen (“doorstep, threshold; doorway, entrance; beginning, commencement”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l- (“to bend, bow; elbow”)) + *-mn̥ (suffix forming action nouns or result nouns from verbs)) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship from nouns)). The English word is borrowed from German subliminal, or a calque of German unterschwellig (“subliminal”, literally “beneath the threshold”).
The noun is derived from the adjective.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 14
subliminal: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordsubliminal: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
subliminal: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary