French word

subliminal

Pronunciation

IPA/sybliminal/

Meaning

  • adjectivesubliminal

Example

J'ai entendu un message subliminal pendant le film.

I heard a subliminal message during the movie.

Illustration for subliminal (subliminal)

More examples

La loi interdit souvent la publicité subliminale.

The law often prohibits subliminal advertising.

Core concept

A signal slips under conscious awareness but can still shape a person's responses.

Common phrases

  • publicité subliminale

    subliminal advertising

  • effet subliminal

    subliminal effect

Similar words

subconscient: Relating to a part of the mind that cannot be consciously accessed.
inconscient: Occurring without conscious awareness or self-awareness.
caché: Hidden from people's sight or attention.
subtil: So subtle that it is difficult to notice or clearly define.

Definition in French

Qui influence une personne sans atteindre sa conscience, en restant en dessous du seuil de perception.

Word origin

French subliminal is borrowed through English from Latin sub- meaning 'under' and līmen meaning 'threshold'.

Usage tips

  • In French, subliminal agrees in gender and number, giving subliminale, subliminaux, and subliminales.

Opposites

  • perceptibleperceptibleadjective

Word lists with this word