self-conscious

American  

[self-kon-shuhs, self-] / ˈsɛlfˈkɒn ʃəs, ˌsɛlf- /

adjective

1. excessively aware of being observed by others.

2. conscious of oneself or one's own being.

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self-conscious British  

adjective

1. unduly aware of oneself as the object of the attention of others; embarrassed

2. conscious of one's existence

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Usage

What does self-conscious mean? Self-conscious means overly aware of and sensitive to attention from others, often to the point of feeling anxious or embarrassed.In this sense, self-conscious is always used negatively. A person can be self-conscious in general, or about a particular aspect of themselves. Much less commonly, it is used to mean aware of one’s existence.Example: She says she never wears short-sleeved shirts because she’s self-conscious about the way her arms look.

Other Word Forms

• self-consciously adverb
• self-consciousness noun

Etymology

Origin of self-conscious

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

At first, I felt self-conscious, worried about waking the others, and awkward eating alone in their midst, but I needn’t have worried.

From Literature

Christopher was self-conscious in his new clothes—black trousers, a wine-colored jumper, and new boots that came up past his ankles—but they were finer than any he’d had before.

From Literature

I also feel very self-conscious whenever I chat to George when no-one else is around as I'm acutely aware that it's just me speaking aloud in an empty room to a chatbot.

From BBC

Once I hit my teenage years and began being judged by my appearance, I became much less confident and more self-conscious.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I hate anybody watching me sing in the studio, because I'm kind of a self-conscious person and somebody pointing a camera at me doesn't help with that," he says.

From BBC

Related Words

• anxious
• awkward
• bashful
• embarrassed
• mannered
• nervous
• sheepish
• shy
• stiff
• stilted
• uncomfortable
• uneasy
• unsure