subconscious

American  

[suhb-kon-shuhs] / sʌbˈkɒn ʃəs /

adjective

1. existing or operating in the mind beneath or beyond consciousness.

   the subconscious self.

2. imperfectly or not wholly conscious.

   subconscious motivations.

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noun

1. the totality of mental processes of which the individual is not aware; unreportable mental activities.

subconscious British  

/ sʌbˈkɒnʃəs /

adjective

1. acting or existing without one's awareness

   subconscious motive

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noun

1. psychoanal that part of the mind which is on the fringe of consciousness and contains material of which it is possible to become aware by redirecting attention Compare preconscious unconscious

Other Word Forms

• nonsubconscious
  adjective
• nonsubconsciousness
  noun
• subconsciously
  adverb
• subconsciousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of subconscious

First recorded in 1825–35; sub- + conscious

Explanation

Subconscious describes something that is just below your awareness, like at a subconscious level hoping your friend's boyfriend breaks up with her — you didn't even realize you felt that way until it happened. If you are aware of something, you are conscious of it, like being conscious of your tendency to talk too much when you are nervous: you watch for it and try to control it. Most words that start with the prefix sub- are something “under” the root word: something subconscious is under or below your awareness. Maybe in time, it will surface — you might get to the root of why you get so nervous in the first place.

Example Sentences

“You could think of it as the subconscious idea of the architecture of L.A.,”

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

"It's better to get out of that environment. Negative things are happening in the subconscious and you have to change to get into a better state."

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

And then there are the rectangular prisms jutting out of the floor, standing 20 feet apart from the last, with LED screens blasting clips from the movie into viewers’ subconscious.

From Salon • Apr. 20, 2026

"If we tell ourselves that the machine will do it for us, we never make the mistakes that allow us to access our subconscious" where true creativity lies, he said.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

I must’ve made a face because Sahil moved infinitesimally closer to me, the movement seeming completely subconscious.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• psyche