consciousness

[ kon-shuh s-nis ]

/ ˈkɒn ʃəs nɪs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR consciousness ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.

the thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual or of an aggregate of people: the moral consciousness of a nation.

full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life: to regain consciousness after fainting.

awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge: consciousness of wrongdoing.

concern, interest, or acute awareness: class consciousness.

the mental activity of which a person is aware as contrasted with unconscious mental processes.

Philosophy. the mind or the mental faculties as characterized by thought, feelings, and volition.

Words nearby consciousness

conscientious objection, conscientious objector, conscionable, conscious, conscious uncoupling, consciousness, consciousness raising, consciousness-expanding, consciousness-raising, conscribe, conscript

Idioms for consciousness

raise one's consciousness, to increase one's awareness and understanding of one's own needs, behavior, attitudes, etc., especially as a member of a particular social or political group.

Origin of consciousness

First recorded in 1625–35; conscious + -ness

OTHER WORDS FROM consciousness

un·der·con·scious·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for consciousness

As soon as the criminal left the shop, the victim snapped back into consciousness and tried to chase after him.
Thief Hypnotizes Shopkeeper, Then Robs Him|Nico Hines|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However we strain to distract ourselves, our consciousness of death heightens our awareness of evil.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours|James Poulos|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While he was in a coma for seven days, his consciousness entered a series of transcendent realms.
Eben Alexander Has a GPS for Heaven|Patricia Pearson|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nothing but a poetic kind of consciousness could have conceived of anything like this.
Stephen King, “Falling,” and My Father’s Poetry|Christopher Dickey|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Do we have a form of consciousness—a way of knowing—that has yet to be charted?
Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of Death|Patricia Pearson|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was vaguely present in his mind the consciousness that other ties were loosening as well.
The Damnation of Theron Ware|Harold Frederic
On the contrary, His Imperial Majesty appeals to their sentiments of justice, and to the consciousness of their own dignity.
The British Expedition to the Crimea|William Howard Russell
By the necessity of our constitution a certain enthusiasm attends the individual's consciousness of that divine presence.
Essays, First Series|Ralph Waldo Emerson
But these conditions, as I have shown, produce a conscience, the representative of society in the consciousness of the individual.
Morals and the Evolution of Man|Max Simon Nordau
Yet it was the beginning of his great career, both as to a consciousness of his own powers and in attracting the public attention.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume XIII|John Lord

Medical definitions for consciousness

consciousness

[ kŏn′shəs-nĭs ]

n.

The state or condition of being conscious.

A sense of one's personal or collective identity, especially the complex of attitudes, beliefs, and sensitivities held by or considered characteristic of an individual or a group.

In psychoanalysis, the conscious.

consciousness

noun

Words related to consciousness

Words nearby consciousness

Idioms for consciousness

Origin of consciousness

OTHER WORDS FROM consciousness

Examples from the Web for consciousness

Medical definitions for consciousness

n.