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conscious

[ kon-shuhs ]
/ ˈkɒn ʃəs /
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See synonyms for: conscious / consciously on Thesaurus.com

adjective
noun
the conscious, Psychoanalysis. the part of the mind comprising psychic material of which the individual is aware.
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Origin of conscious

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin conscius “sharing knowledge with,” equivalent to con- con- + sci- (stem of scīre “to know”; see science) + -us -ous; cf. nice

synonym study for conscious

2. Conscious, aware, cognizant refer to an individual sense of recognition of something within or without oneself. Conscious implies to be awake or awakened to an inner realization of a fact, a truth, a condition, etc.: to be conscious of an extreme weariness. Aware lays the emphasis on sense perceptions insofar as they are the object of conscious recognition: He was aware of the odor of tobacco. Cognizant lays the emphasis on an outer recognition more on the level of reason and knowledge than on the sensory level alone: He was cognizant of their drawbacks.

OTHER WORDS FROM conscious

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH conscious

conscience, conscious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use conscious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for conscious

conscious
/ (ˈkɒnʃəs) /

adjective
  1. alert and awake; not sleeping or comatose
  2. aware of one's surroundings, one's own thoughts and motivations, etc
  1. aware of and giving value or emphasis to a particular fact or phenomenonI am conscious of your great kindness to me
  2. (in combination)clothes-conscious
done with full awareness; deliberatea conscious effort; conscious rudeness
  1. denoting or relating to a part of the human mind that is aware of a person's self, environment, and mental activity and that to a certain extent determines his choices of action
  2. (as noun)the conscious is only a small part of the mind
Compare unconscious

Derived forms of conscious

consciously, adverbconsciousness, noun

Word Origin for conscious

C17: from Latin conscius sharing knowledge, from com- with + scīre to know
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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