# subliminal

> English word · Adjective · IPA [ˌsʌbˈlɪm.ɪ.nl̩] · frequency rank #35,542

## Definitions
1. 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.
2. Without directed awareness or thought; subconscious (dated), unconscious.
3. Of an advertisement, a message, etc.: conveyed in a manner that a person is unaware of being influenced by it.

## 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.

## Common misspellings (15)
`sbuliminal`, `ssubliminal`, `subbliminal`, `subilminal`, `subliimnal`, `sublimianl`, `subliminall`, `subliminla`, `subliminnal`, `sublimminal`, `sublimnial`, `sublliminal`, `sublmiinal`, `sulbiminal`, `usbliminal`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/subliminal