conscious

[ kon-shuhs ]

/ ˈkɒn ʃəs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conscious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

aware of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.

fully aware of or sensitive to something (often followed by of): conscious of one's own faults; He wasn't conscious of the gossip about his past.

having the mental faculties fully active: He was conscious during the operation.

known to oneself; felt: conscious guilt.

aware of what one is doing: a conscious liar.

aware of oneself; self-conscious.

deliberate; intentional: a conscious insult; a conscious effort.

acutely aware of or concerned about: money-conscious; a diet-conscious society.

Obsolete. inwardly sensible of wrongdoing.

noun

the conscious, Psychoanalysis. the part of the mind comprising psychic material of which the individual is aware.

Nearby words

conscient, conscientious, conscientious objection, conscientious objector, conscionable, conscious, conscious uncoupling, consciously, consciousness, consciousness raising, consciousness-expanding

Origin of conscious

1625–35; < Latin conscius sharing knowledge with, equivalent to con- con- + sci- (stem of scīre to know; see science) + -us -ous; cf. nice

SYNONYMS FOR conscious

2 knowing, percipient.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conscious ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

con·scious·ly, adverbhalf-con·scious, adjectivehalf-con·scious·ly, adverbhalf-con·scious·ness, noun

non·con·scious, adjectivenon·con·scious·ly, adverbnon·con·scious·ness, nouno·ver·con·scious, adjectiveo·ver·con·scious·ly, adverbo·ver·con·scious·ness, nounqua·si-con·scious, adjectivequa·si-con·scious·ly, adverb

Can be confusedconscience conscious

Synonym study

2. Conscious, aware, cognizant refer to an individual sense of recognition of something within or without oneself. Conscious implies to be awake or awakened to an inner realization of a fact, a truth, a condition, etc.: to be conscious of an extreme weariness. Aware lays the emphasis on sense perceptions insofar as they are the object of conscious recognition: He was aware of the odor of tobacco. Cognizant lays the emphasis on an outer recognition more on the level of reason and knowledge than on the sensory level alone: He was cognizant of their drawbacks.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for conscious

To his credit, Huckabee is conscious of the fact that he will need a cluster of deep-pocketed patrons and bundlers.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Can a seven year old—let alone a two year old—really make the conscious calculations necessary to create “true” works of art?
The Tiniest Jackson Pollock|Justin Jones|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And, as noted with victim blaming, this undermines men as thinking, rational, conscious beings.
Hey, Creeps, ‘Compliments’ Are Harassment, Too|Tauriq Moosa|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And at the time he wrote that letter, Derek was also conscious of his own mortality.
The Queer Genius of Film Director Derek Jarman|Tim Teeman|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This conscious uncoupling was a big deal because WTF is that even.
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Martin Consciously Couple|Kevin Fallon|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Stoddart sat down by the bed, and presently Annette, as if conscious of her presence, opened her eyes.
Notwithstanding|Mary Cholmondeley
Its majestic form, as it towers high above the ordinary works of man, conveys the repose of conscious strength to the beholder.
Getting Acquainted with the Trees|J. Horace McFarland
For a fortnight the young soldier remained the same,—feverish, conscious only at intervals.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 15, No. 89, March, 1865|Various
At the same time, Lois was also conscious of a lack of response, a dullness, in Theodosia.
The Wayfarers|Mary Stewart Cutting
I am conscious that while I have taxed your patience, I have given but an imperfect presentation of the subject.
Anti-Slavery Opinions before the Year 1800|William Frederick Poole

British Dictionary definitions for conscious

conscious

/ (ˈkɒnʃəs) /

adjective

alert and awake; not sleeping or comatose
aware of one's surroundings, one's own thoughts and motivations, etc

aware of and giving value or emphasis to a particular fact or phenomenonI am conscious of your great kindness to me
(in combination)clothes-conscious

done with full awareness; deliberatea conscious effort; conscious rudeness

denoting or relating to a part of the human mind that is aware of a person's self, environment, and mental activity and that to a certain extent determines his choices of action
(as noun)the conscious is only a small part of the mind

Compare unconscious

Derived Formsconsciously, adverbconsciousness, noun

Word Origin for conscious

C17: from Latin conscius sharing knowledge, from com- with + scīre to know

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for conscious

conscious

adj.

c.1600, "knowing, privy to," from Latin conscius "knowing, aware," from conscire (see conscience); probably a loan-translation of Greek syneidos. A word adopted from the Latin poets and much mocked at first. Sense of "active and awake" is from 1837.

Medicine definitions for conscious

conscious

[ kŏn′shəs ]

adj.

Having an awareness of one's environment and one's own existence, sensations, and thoughts.

Intentionally conceived or done; deliberate.

n.

In psychoanalysis, the component of waking awareness perceptible by a person at any given instant.

Related formscon′scious•ly adv.

conscious

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of conscious

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for conscious

British Dictionary definitions for conscious

conscious

adjective

Word Origin for conscious

Word Origin and History for conscious

conscious

Medicine definitions for conscious

conscious

adj.

n.