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self-conscious

[ self-kon-shuh s, self- ]
/ ˈsɛlfˈkɒn ʃəs, ˌsɛlf- /
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adjective

excessively aware of being observed by others.
conscious of oneself or one's own being.

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RELATED WORDS

anxious, sheepish, unsure, stilted, awkward, stiff, shy, bashful, embarrassed, uneasy, uncomfortable, nervous, mannered, affected, artificial, diffident, shamefaced, uncertain

Nearby words

  1. self-confessed,
  2. self-confidence,
  3. self-confident,
  4. self-congratulation,
  5. self-congratulatory,
  6. self-consecration,
  7. self-consequence,
  8. self-consistent,
  9. self-contained,
  10. self-containment

Origin of self-conscious

First recorded in 1670–80
Related formsself-con·scious·ly, adverbself-con·scious·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for self-conscious

British Dictionary definitions for self-conscious

self-conscious

adjective

unduly aware of oneself as the object of the attention of others; embarrassed
conscious of one's existence
Derived Formsself-consciously, adverbself-consciousness, noun
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

Word Origin and History for self-conscious

self-conscious

adj.

1680s, "aware of one's action," a word of the English Enlightenment (Locke was using it by 1690), from self- + conscious. Morbid sense of "preoccupied with one's own personality" is attested from 1834 (in J.S. Mill). Related: Self-consciously; self-consciousness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper