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stream of consciousness
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noun
Psychology. thought regarded as a succession of ideas and images constantly moving forward in time.
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Origin of stream of consciousness
First recorded in 1885–90
Words nearby stream of consciousness
streamlet, streamline, streamlined, streamline flow, streamliner, stream of consciousness, streamside, streamway, Streamwood, streamy, Streator
Other definitions for stream of consciousness (2 of 2)
stream-of-consciousness
[ streem-uhv-kon-shuhs-nis ]
/ ˈstrim əvˈkɒn ʃəs nɪs /
adjective
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.
Compare interior monologue.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use stream of consciousness in a sentence
Although her stream-of-consciousness delivery is far wittier than any of our own could ever dream to be.
Speed Read: Lena Dunham’s Most Shocking Confessions From ‘Not That Kind of Girl’|Kevin Fallon|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEASTHer often-rambling, stream-of-consciousness blogging is a roller coaster of mood swings.
His words had an aimless stream-of-consciousness quality that contrasted sharply with his usually precise speech.
The Great Gray Plague|Raymond F. Jones
British Dictionary definitions for stream of consciousness
stream of consciousness
noun
psychol the continuous flow of ideas, thoughts, and feelings forming the content of an individual's consciousness. The term was originated by William James
- a literary technique that reveals the flow of thoughts and feelings of characters through long passages of soliloquy
- (as modifier)a stream-of-consciousness novel
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
Cultural definitions for stream of consciousness
stream of consciousness
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.