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

Example Sentences

"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

It makes more sense that the feeling of family promised by rock touring life would appeal to Charlie Brown; it often calls to creative dreamers and outcasts with a subconscious need to belong.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

The shift in attitude hasn’t been firmly diagrammed; instead, what’s going on here is mostly subconscious, like a collective unlocking of forbidden territory.

From Slate • Feb. 12, 2026

“You laugh, but there’s always that small part of your subconscious that goes, ‘you know that could be me, right?’”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025

By that time, by some purely subconscious means, I had developed a successful mental block about the murder and everything pertaining to it.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• psyche