consciousness

[kon-shuhs-nis]

noun

1. the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.

2. the thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual or of an aggregate of people.

   the moral consciousness of a nation.

3. full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life.

   to regain consciousness after fainting.

4. awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge.

   consciousness of wrongdoing.

5. concern, interest, or acute awareness.

   class consciousness.

6. the mental activity of which a person is aware as contrasted with unconscious mental processes.

7. Philosophy.,  the mind or the mental faculties as characterized by thought, feelings, and volition.

Other Word Forms

• underconsciousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of consciousness¹

First recorded in 1625–35; conscious + -ness

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. raise one's consciousness, to increase one's awareness and understanding of one's own needs, behavior, attitudes, etc., especially as a member of a particular social or political group.

Example Sentences

As a former student heavily influenced by Jordan, Poblet offers in reflection, “as we face the crisis of today, I am drawn to June Jordan’s wisdom, and her passion for deeply human critical consciousness.”

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He spent three days in a medically induced coma at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and regained consciousness to news from jubilant nurses that the Dodgers had won the championship.

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Ms Whyte initially survived, but never regained consciousness and died in hospital three days later.

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“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha,” an award winner at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, is less a traditional comedy show than an experiment in collective consciousness.

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Shakespeare, by contrast, probed the limits of consciousness regarding the human condition.

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Related Words

• alertness www.thesaurus.com
• apprehension 
• awareness 
• recognition 
• sensibility