consciously
Americanadverb
-
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.
-
with clear intent; deliberately.
The need to consciously make time for exercise is a relatively recent phenomenon.
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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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of consciously
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."
Vocabulary lists containing consciously
Maya and the Robot
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Superfudge
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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.
“I think it’s just the things that have come my way. Yes, it’s definitely a subject I’m interested in, but I haven’t consciously chosen to only do those roles.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
The findings suggest that while humans cannot consciously detect infrasound, the body still registers it in some way.
From Science Daily • May 3, 2026
How do you preserve history without being seen to revive beliefs that people have consciously moved away from?
From BBC • May 2, 2026
Colas wrote that “structurally higher energy valuations are at least partly due to investors consciously choosing a sector with historically strong capital discipline.”
From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026
Maybe Sapiens had other aspirations, and were consciously willing to make their lives harder in order to achieve them.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
