unconscious

[ uhn-kon-shuhs ]

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.

noun

1. 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.

unconscious

/ 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

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

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.

Derived Forms

• unˈconsciously, adverb

Other Words From

• un·con·scious·ly adverb
• un·con·scious·ness noun
• qua·si-un·con·scious adjective
• self-un·con·scious adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of unconscious¹

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

Example Sentences

The emergency services were called to Lux nightclub in the city centre at about 02:20 GMT after reports that two women had fallen unconscious.

From BBC

Police, paramedics and fire crews were called to the venue at about 02:20 GMT after reports that two women had fallen unconscious.

From BBC

He would understand irony as an archetype drawn from our collective unconscious.

From Salon

A police officer told the court that at 19:32 GMT on 2 November an ambulance crew alerted police that a man had been assaulted and was unconscious and bleeding heavily outside Antrim Primary School.

From BBC

On the same morning the two Danish victims were found unconscious in their rooms and rushed to the local hospital.

From BBC

Related Words

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