unconscious
[uhn-kon-shuh s]
- 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.
Show More
- 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.
Show More
Origin of unconscious
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
oblivionincapacityobliviousnessdarknessrawnessfogunawarenesssimplicityinnocencevaguenessblindnessunfamiliaritybewildermentilliteracynesciencedumbnessdisregardcrudenesssciolismincomprehensionExamples from the Web for unconsciousness
Contemporary Examples
Dr. Karasu said "there's a greater pleasure in the unconsciousness of revenge - it's more powerful than success."
Historical Examples
He had been too dazed to resist; he had not known what had gripped him in his unconsciousness and weakness.
The Bluff of the HawkAnthony Gilmore
Chris stared, almost forgetting the pose of unconsciousness in his bewilderment.
Raiders InvisibleDesmond Winter Hall
Slowly she realized that she was being choked into unconsciousness.
The Film of FearArnold Fredericks
After Ali fell he lived a moment, though only in unconsciousness.
The ScapegoatHall Caine
His hand closed tightly on hers, and he sank back into unconsciousness.
Audrey CravenMay Sinclair
unconsciousness
- the state of being without normal sensory awareness; insensibility
Show More
unconscious
- lacking normal sensory awareness of the environment; insensible
- not aware of one's actions, behaviour, etcunconscious of his bad manners
- characterized by lack of awareness or intentionan unconscious blunder
- coming from or produced by the unconsciousunconscious resentment
Show More
- psychoanal the part of the mind containing instincts, impulses, images, and ideas that are not available for direct examinationSee also collective unconscious Compare subconscious, preconscious
Show More
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
Word Origin and History for unconsciousness
unconscious
adj.
1712, "unaware, not marked by conscious thought," from un- (1) "not" + conscious. Meaning "temporarily insensible, knocked out" is recorded from 1860. In psychology, the noun the unconscious (1884) is a loan-translation of German das Unbewusste. The adjective in this sense is recorded from 1912.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
unconsciousness
(ŭn-kŏn′shəs-nĭs)- A state of impaired consciousness in which one shows no responsiveness to environmental stimuli but may respond to deep pain with involuntary movements.
Show More
unconscious
(ŭn-kŏn′shəs)- Of or in a state of unconsciousness; not conscious.
- Occurring in the absence of conscious awareness or thought, as an emotion or motive.
- Without conscious control; involuntary or unintended.
Show More
- In psychoanalytic theory, the division of the mind containing elements of psychic makeup, such as memories or repressed desires, that are not subject to conscious perception or control but that often affect conscious thoughts and behavior.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.