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
“Are you happy with your life,” Jason 2 asks Jason 1 as he sends him into unconsciousness, “or have you ever wondered what else you could have been?”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2024
"Drowning contributes due to the likelihood of submersion into the pool as he lapsed into unconsciousness; coronary artery disease contributes due to exacerbation of ketamine induced myocardial effects on the heart."
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2023
In sum, the evidence in the new study shows that unconsciousness doesn't arise from a wholesale shutting down of the cortex, as much as a suppression of communication within it, Miller said.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2023
However, the climate of my unconsciousness had changed.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
