unconsciously

[uhn-kon-shuhs-lee]

adverb

1. unintentionally and without realizing what one is doing.

   Unconsciously, almost in spite of herself, she sighed.

2. at a level below that of conscious thought.

   Children are unconsciously influenced by the appearance and personalities of their parents to choose partners who resemble them.

3. without any awareness, sensation, or cognition at all.

   As her mind drifted into a cloud of darkness and she lost all feeling, her body unconsciously fought the force of gravity pushing against it.

Other Word Forms

• quasi-unconsciously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unconsciously¹

unconscious ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Those personas can also serve, consciously or unconsciously, as a wall.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Today, the diagnosis includes children whose autism was previously overlooked because of their propensity for “masking,” the act of consciously or unconsciously suppressing autistic traits in order to blend in.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The diagnostic definition of autism has evolved over the years and now includes children who cope by “masking”: consciously or unconsciously suppressing autistic traits in order to fit in at school or in social environments.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It specifies that individuals of a certain race shouldn’t be portrayed as inherently racist, “whether consciously or unconsciously.”

Read more on Salon

Because interoceptive signals originate deep within the body and are often processed unconsciously, scientists often describe this system as our "hidden sixth sense."

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• unintentionally 
• unknowingly www.thesaurus.com
• unwittingly