subliminal
pronunciation
How to pronounce subliminal in British English:
UK [ˌsʌbˈlɪmɪnl]
How to pronounce subliminal in American English:
US [sʌbˈlɪmənəl]
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- Adjective:
- below the threshold of conscious perception
Word Origin
- subliminal (adj.)
- 1873, "below the threshold" (of consciousness or sensation), formed from Latin stem of sublime (Latin limen, genitive liminis) + -al (1)). Apparently a loan-translation of German unter der Schwelle (des Bewusstseins) "beneath the threshold (of consciousness)," from Johann Friedrich Herbart (1776-1841), author of a textbook on psychology published in 1824. The scare over subliminal advertising came in 1957. Related: Subliminally.
Example
- 1. He claimed subliminal advertising was controlling his thoughts .
- 2. Worlds best selling subliminal audio recorder hands down !
- 3. Television programmes are full of subliminal advertising .
- 4. This is a subliminal valentine 's day card .
- 5. The telepathic hypothesis takes as its starting-point the so-called subliminal consciousness .