self-conscious

American  

[self-kon-shuhs, self-] / ˈsɛlfˈkɒn ʃəs, ˌsɛlf- /

adjective

1. excessively aware of being observed by others.

2. conscious of oneself or one's own being.

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self-conscious British  

adjective

1. unduly aware of oneself as the object of the attention of others; embarrassed

2. conscious of one's existence

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Usage

What does self-conscious mean? Self-conscious means overly aware of and sensitive to attention from others, often to the point of feeling anxious or embarrassed. In this sense, self-conscious is always used negatively. A person can be self-conscious in general, or about a particular aspect of themselves. Much less commonly, it is used to mean aware of one’s existence. Example: She says she never wears short-sleeved shirts because she’s self-conscious about the way her arms look.

Other Word Forms

• self-consciousness
  noun
• self-consciously
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of self-conscious

First recorded in 1670–80

Explanation

Use the adjective self-conscious to describe someone who is ill at ease or uncomfortable with himself. A self-conscious person might worry about how he looks or whether he's saying the right things. Being self-conscious goes beyond just being aware of yourself — when you're self-conscious, you constantly question the way you appear to others. You might feel self-conscious when you stand in front of a group to give a speech, or when you're trying out for a movie or a play. The word first meant "conscious of one's own action" when it emerged in the 1680s, and by 1830s it had come to mean "preoccupied with one's own personality."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-conscious

I never felt so self-conscious about being different until we left Woodland Hills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

"The cancer was removed, but the surgery affected my appearance and made me more self-conscious about being seen in public," she said in a heartfelt statement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

She said: "I know it looks weird, but I think it's important for other people to see somebody with a body difference that they've got themselves, because it makes them feel less self-conscious about it."

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

“Marching in protests always made me feel self-conscious and out of place,” he writes, “like a bad extra in a movie, playing an assigned role.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

I’d grown tired of both the bathroom and the library, and enough time had passed that I no longer felt too self-conscious about eating alone.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Related Words

• anxious
• awkward
• bashful
• embarrassed
• mannered
• nervous
• sheepish
• shy
• stiff
• stilted
• uncomfortable
• uneasy
• unsure