self-conscious
Americanadjective
-
excessively aware of being observed by others.
-
conscious of oneself or one's own being.
adjective
-
unduly aware of oneself as the object of the attention of others; embarrassed
-
conscious of one's existence
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"You're self-conscious about that. It will always be there."
From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026
While Phineas is charismatic, generous and has “a serene capacity for affection,” Gene is a self-conscious outsider who has to work hard to get good grades.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
As a teenager, she was self-conscious about her freckles and found it hard to please her glamorous parents.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
Villalobos: I feel very self-conscious about what I’m gonna say.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2025
I cannot tell whether Miss Ingram was a genius, but she was self-conscious—remarkably self-conscious indeed.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
