consciously

American  

[kon-shuhs-lee] / ˈkɒn ʃəs li /

adverb

1. with knowledge or awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc..

   Negative attitudes can be reinforced, both consciously and unconsciously, by teachers, parents, and peers.

   At any moment we probably aren't consciously aware of most of the sounds around us.

2. with clear intent; deliberately.

   The need to consciously make time for exercise is a relatively recent phenomenon.

3. in a way that is sustainable, or with awareness of one’s effect on the environment, society, etc..

   Shop locally and consciously, and support a business that supports our community.

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Other Word Forms

• half-consciously
  adverb
• nonconsciously
  adverb
• overconsciously
  adverb
• quasi-consciously
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of consciously

conscious ( def. ) + -ly

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Explanation

When you do something consciously, you do it on purpose, after thinking seriously about it. A kindergarten teacher might consciously choose a soothing book to calm his class down at story time. If you do something instinctively or automatically, you're not consciously choosing to do it — it's just happening. On the other hand, if you consciously invite only friends who get along with each other to your party, you've done it in a thoughtful, intentional way. The adverb consciously comes from conscious, "aware and awake," from the Latin conscius, "knowing or aware," which has a Greek root, syneidos, "to know."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

consciously

There are the now-traditional scenes in which Carrie learns to consciously control her telekinetic superpowers, previously manifested by accidentally setting off car alarms, opening mailboxes and causing a rain of rocks on her parents’ roof.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The decision to focus on certain medieval buildings and roadways absent from his writings—on what he missed, consciously or otherwise—seems a curious one, particularly in a presentation of this size.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

We would like to leave no moment uncaptured, would like to at least try to become pearly, hairless, omniscient idealized beings, even if this desire lurks somewhere beneath what we’d consciously admit.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

By the time filming began, Holland says there was no need to consciously work out how to make the three-person dynamic function as "it just worked and clicked immediately".

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

He was watching her again, and she remembered how she had often felt as if he could see her mind, knew things about her that she might not consciously know.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Related Words

• knowingly
• pointedly
• purposely
• studiously
• voluntarily
• willfully

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