consciously

American  

[kon-shuhs-lee] / ˈkɒn ʃəs li /

adverb

1. 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.

2. with clear intent; deliberately.

   The need to consciously make time for exercise is a relatively recent phenomenon.

3. 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

• half-consciously
  adverb
• nonconsciously
  adverb
• overconsciously
  adverb
• quasi-consciously
  adverb

---

Etymology

Origin of consciously

conscious ( def. ) + -ly

---

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

consciously

This does not necessarily mean that the anesthetized patients consciously understood the stories being played to them.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

The decision to focus on certain medieval buildings and roadways absent from his writings—on what he missed, consciously or otherwise—seems a curious one, particularly in a presentation of this size.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

I was in my 20s, and practicing consciously dating rather than hopping from one serious relationship to the next.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

We would like to leave no moment uncaptured, would like to at least try to become pearly, hairless, omniscient idealized beings, even if this desire lurks somewhere beneath what we’d consciously admit.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

But again, I was trying, if only half consciously, to represent the alternative.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• knowingly
• pointedly
• purposely
• studiously
• voluntarily
• willfully

---