unconscious
not conscious; without awareness, sensation, or cognition.
temporarily devoid of consciousness.
not perceived at the level of awareness; occurring below the level of conscious thought: an unconscious impulse.
not consciously realized, planned, or done; without conscious volition or intent: an unconscious social slight.
not endowed with mental faculties: the unconscious stones.
the unconscious, Psychoanalysis. the part of the mind containing psychic material that is only rarely accessible to awareness but that has a pronounced influence on behavior.
Origin of unconscious
1Other words from unconscious
- un·con·scious·ly, adverb
- un·con·scious·ness, noun
- qua·si-un·con·scious, adjective
- self-un·con·scious, adjective
Words Nearby unconscious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use unconscious in a sentence
Her writing has often revealed what was previously hidden, parsed what was unconscious, be it the miasmic unease of the late 1960s or the subterranean structures of national politics.
Joan Didion’s ‘Let Me Tell You What I Mean’ shows a writer ahead of her time | Charles Arrowsmith | February 9, 2021 | Washington PostGideon is then rendered unconscious by an unseen hand, and when he wakes again, Angie has disappeared.
Two historical mystery novels plunge readers into the past while keeping them guessing | Clare McHugh | February 8, 2021 | Washington PostRemote workplaces can also help eliminate unconscious bias in hiring, for example, when interviews are conducted over the phone instead of via video interviews.
Transgender workers and the unexpected upside of WFH | Kristen Bellstrom | January 12, 2021 | FortuneWhen she caught up, he was sprawled on the side of the road, unconscious.
Incubation is as unconscious as it is real, and it enhances creativity.
When he invited her to play in a charity game, she got knocked unconscious when he passed her the ball.
‘My Crazy Love’ Reveals the Craziest Lies People Tell for Love | Kevin Fallon | November 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis renders the patient unconscious and thus, effectively relieves pain.
U.K. Courts Grant Mother Right to End Her 12-Year-Old Disabled Daughter’s Life | Elizabeth Picciuto | November 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOne of the mobs caught Dr. Saptal Singh, beat him unconscious—and presuming him dead—threw his body off a train.
As 30-Year Anniversary of Mass Killings in India Arrives, Sikhs Find Safety in USA | Simran Jeet Singh | October 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“The punches and kicks eventually knocked me unconscious and left me completely unresponsive,” Singh explained.
As 30-Year Anniversary of Mass Killings in India Arrives, Sikhs Find Safety in USA | Simran Jeet Singh | October 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSome people were chased; some robbed; two men were beaten unconscious.
It began with certain postulates, or assumptions, to a great extent unconscious, of the conditions to which it applied.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockIn this way child's play, like primitive art, shows a certain unconscious selectiveness.
Children's Ways | James SullyHe was apparently equally unconscious of anything extraordinary in the situation.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinIn a dream he crossed the crowded hall, avoiding various acquaintances with unconscious cunning.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodNancy was little the worse for the awful accident, bruised, of course, but poor Masters was unconscious.
Uncanny Tales | Various
British Dictionary definitions for unconscious
/ (ʌnˈkɒnʃəs) /
lacking normal sensory awareness of the environment; insensible
not aware of one's actions, behaviour, etc: unconscious of his bad manners
characterized by lack of awareness or intention: an unconscious blunder
coming from or produced by the unconscious: unconscious resentment
psychoanal the part of the mind containing instincts, impulses, images, and ideas that are not available for direct examination: See also collective unconscious Compare subconscious, preconscious
Derived forms of unconscious
- unconsciously, adverb
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 unconscious
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.
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