subconsciously

American  

[suhb-kon-shuhs-lee] / sʌbˈkɒn ʃəs li /

adverb

1. beneath or beyond the conscious mind.

   Your brain subconsciously processes a lot of the day’s information while you sleep.

2. without conscious understanding or desire.

   I grew up subconsciously internalizing the stereotypes I saw in movies, TV shows, and advertisements.

   I heard footsteps approaching behind me, and my pace quickened subconsciously.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsubconsciously adverb

Etymology

Origin of subconsciously

subconscious ( def. ) + -ly

Compare meaning

How does subconsciously compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• subconsciously vs. unconsciously

Example Sentences

But what he did is subconsciously he got us thinking about that ...

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

By subconsciously mirroring even the subtlest twitches of expression and biological rhythms of other people, we can channel their thoughts and feelings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

"Maybe, subconsciously, that's why those songs bookend the album."

From BBC • Oct. 15, 2025

He studied their individual tics and mannerisms to find the things that people across the world might only note subconsciously, and wove them into his caricatures.

From Salon • Sep. 5, 2025

To understand why, evolutionary psychologists argue, we need to delve into the hunter-gatherer world that shaped us, the world that we subconsciously still inhabit.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari