self-conscious
Americanadjective
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excessively aware of being observed by others.
-
conscious of oneself or one's own being.
adjective
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unduly aware of oneself as the object of the attention of others; embarrassed
-
conscious of one's existence
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-consciously adverb
- self-consciousness noun
Etymology
Origin of self-conscious
First recorded in 1670–80
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.
Once I hit my teenage years and began being judged by my appearance, I became much less confident and more self-conscious.
"I hate anybody watching me sing in the studio, because I'm kind of a self-conscious person and somebody pointing a camera at me doesn't help with that," he says.
From BBC
The A-level student hopes new antihistamine injections every four weeks will improve her symptoms, which cause her to miss out on plans with friends and leave her feeling self-conscious.
From BBC
While the ability to straddle two generations was once a badge of honour, Ji says he has become self-conscious about interacting with younger colleagues for fear of being labelled a kkondae or Young 40.
From BBC
“I got blistered,” I explained, a little self-conscious about the ugly welt.
From Literature
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.
