Subliminal Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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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 WebMaybe this is my father’s legacy: not just subliminal messages and humming but also plain unvarnished talk.—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023 The idea of learning during sleep has long become a sitcom cliché—someone listens to a dating tape or a stop-smoking tape, for example, and suddenly acts odd because of subliminal cues.—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 5 May 2023 And a lot of that made it on the record just like subliminal little sounds and stuff like that.—Steve Baltin, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023 Of course, Martin could show up for work after making his summer of subliminal messages to fans and the media with his threat of missing camp being a statement to the Cowboys: Pay me more money.—Calvin Watkins, Dallas News, 19 July 2023 Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner deny bad blood amid eyebrow feud speculation Gomez's return to the top spot comes after a fan on TikTok speculated that Jenner was throwing subliminal shade at her on Instagram — something both stars quickly shot down.—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2023 In short, my father’s work appeared to show that subliminal perception was a real and verifiable phenomenon, as were the Freudian principles on which diagnosed psychopathology rested.—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023 But in some ways, the movie is also carrying on a subliminal, more subtly nostalgic conversation with the ’90s, the decade that transformed Affleck and Damon into household names and saw some of their key supporting players here first rise to prominence.—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2023 Photograph by Kelsey McClellan for Bon Appétit Midnite Bagel 2565 3rd St Third Floor, Suite 308, San Francisco The sourdough culture that flavors the bagels at Midnite is not understated or subliminal.—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 27 June 2023 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.