unconscious

American  

[uhn-kon-shuhs] / ʌnˈkɒn ʃəs /

adjective

1. not conscious; without awareness, sensation, or cognition.

2. temporarily devoid of consciousness.

3. not perceived at the level of awareness; occurring below the level of conscious thought.

   an unconscious impulse.

4. not consciously realized, planned, or done; without conscious volition or intent.

   an unconscious social slight.

5. not endowed with mental faculties.

   the unconscious stones.

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noun

1. Psychoanalysis. the unconscious, the part of the mind containing psychic material that is only rarely accessible to awareness but that has a pronounced influence on behavior.

unconscious British  

/ ʌnˈkɒnʃəs /

adjective

1. lacking normal sensory awareness of the environment; insensible

2. not aware of one's actions, behaviour, etc

   unconscious of his bad manners

3. characterized by lack of awareness or intention

   an unconscious blunder

4. coming from or produced by the unconscious

   unconscious resentment

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noun

1. 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

unconscious Cultural  

1. The part of the psyche lying far below consciousness and not easily raised into consciousness. In Freudian psychology, the unconscious cannot be directly observed with the conscious mind, but it has its own processes and deeply affects conscious thought.

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Other Word Forms

• quasi-unconscious
  adjective
• self-unconscious
  adjective
• unconsciously
  adverb
• unconsciousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of unconscious

First recorded in 1705–15; 1915–20 unconscious for def. 6; un- ¹ + conscious

Explanation

When you're unconscious you're passed out or asleep. Anything going on in the body that we're not aware of can also be called unconscious. Being unconscious can be very nice, especially when you're in the middle of a deep sleep. But if you're unconscious because you fainted or got hit in the head, that's not so good. Unconscious people aren't aware of what's going on, and they can't talk or do things — except maybe for sleepwalking and sleeptalking. There are also unconscious thoughts and desires: things going on in the mind that you don't know about.

Example Sentences

Ridding oneself of unconscious bias can be a daily practice, so I hope this 60-something single man does not sacrifice too much of his downtime for overtime.

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

The 56-year-old woman was found unresponsive and unconscious inside an uncovered manhole around 11:20 p.m.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

When Keenan was brought out of the coma, he had no idea that his experiences while unconscious weren't real.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

But on 25 April 2022, police and paramedics called to his home in Bromley, south-east London, found him unconscious.

From BBC • May 11, 2026

Taking our powers of rapid cognition seriously means we have to acknowledge the subtle influences that can alter or undermine or bias the products of our unconscious.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• innate
• instinctive
• latent
• lost
• repressed
• subliminal
• suppressed