stream of consciousness

¹

noun

1. Psychology. thought regarded as a succession of ideas and images constantly moving forward in time.
2. interior monologue.

stream-of-consciousness

²

[ streem-uhv-kon-shuhs-nis ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by a manner of writing in which a character's thoughts or perceptions are presented as occurring in random form, without regard for logical sequences, syntactic structure, distinctions between various levels of reality, or the like:

   a stream-of-consciousness novel; a stream-of-consciousness technique.

stream of consciousness

noun

1. psychol the continuous flow of ideas, thoughts, and feelings forming the content of an individual's consciousness. The term was originated by William James
2. 1. a literary technique that reveals the flow of thoughts and feelings of characters through long passages of soliloquy
   2. ( as modifier )

      a stream-of-consciousness novel

stream of consciousness

1. A kind of writing that presents the thoughts of a person or character as they occur. Stream-of-consciousness writing uses devices such as characters speaking to themselves, free association, and lists of words. William Faulkner , James Joyce , and Virginia Woolf wrote stream-of-consciousness novels .

Word History and Origins

Origin of stream of consciousness¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Although her stream-of-consciousness delivery is far wittier than any of our own could ever dream to be.

From The Daily Beast

Her often-rambling, stream-of-consciousness blogging is a roller coaster of mood swings.

From The Daily Beast

His words had an aimless stream-of-consciousness quality that contrasted sharply with his usually precise speech.

From Project Gutenberg