unconsciousness
Britishnoun
Explanation
Unconsciousness is a state of being unaware of what's going on around you, either because you're not awake or because you're simply oblivious. If you fall asleep during a movie, and your unconsciousness means you'll miss the ending. Even if everyone in your family is mad at each other, your little cousin's unconsciousness of the argument might make it easier to have a peaceful Thanksgiving. And after the meal, the great quantities of food eaten may result in the unconsciousness of half the guests, who doze in the living room, snoring softly. In both kinds of unconsciousness, someone isn't conscious, or aware, of their surroundings.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
According to a peer-reviewed study in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention, Waymo recorded 85 percent fewer crashes likely to cause serious injuries—like broken bones, unconsciousness, or skull fractures—compared to human drivers.
From Slate • Jun. 10, 2025
At the higher doses that cause unconsciousness, those gamma waves became periodically interrupted by "down" states where only very slow frequency delta waves occur.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2024
It has an element of unconsciousness, like in any dream.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2024
My session is tailored around cardiac arrest—the most likely culprit for unconsciousness because of my age and lack of other ailments; other patients might receive more specific disease planning or medical advice.
From Slate • Feb. 13, 2024
I just lay there, helpless, swimming toward unconsciousness.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
