false consciousness

Save This Word!

noun

a Marxist theory that people are unable to see things, especially exploitation, oppression, and social relations, as they really are; the hypothesized inability of the human mind to develop a sophisticated awareness of how it is developed and shaped by circumstances.

any belief or view that prevents a person from being able to understand the true nature of a situation.

QUIZ

FIRE UP YOUR VOCAB FOR A "RED" SYNONYMS QUIZ

No fire engine reds here, only a fierce collection of vibrant words for the color red to test yourself on.

Question 1 of 7

What does "amaranth" mean?

a legendary stone of impenetrable hardness

an imaginary, undying flower

a mythical creature

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of false consciousness

First recorded in 1855–60

Words nearby false consciousness

false color, false colors, false colour, false colours, false conjugate, false consciousness, false cyst, false dawn, False Decretals, false diamond, false diverticulum

How to use false consciousness in a sentence

And no issue should be defined by its outliers because it paints a false picture.
Bill de Blasio’s Tea Party Problem|Will Cain|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He has contributed to a false picture of law enforcement based on isolated injustices.
Bill de Blasio’s Tea Party Problem|Will Cain|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Nothing else to do” was the most common response for why people chose to go to The Ball, though that rang a little false to me.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots|Emily Shire|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He quotes an unnamed cardinal saying that the conclave voters knew the charges were false.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF|Jason Berry|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Once people with ID are arrested, they are particularly susceptible to making coerced and often false confessions.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The controlling center of consciousness is the extreme limit of the nares anteri.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
A ray of Consciousness is passed over that impression and you re-read it, you re-awaken the record.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
But the sheer quantity of the inflated currency and false money forces prices higher still.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Mine should be of pure steel; I have ordered her out of my consciousness these last weeks at the point of the bayonet.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
The rest is done by cutting away two upper and four under-teeth, and substituting false ones at the desired angle.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu