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View synonyms for consciousness

consciousness

[ kon-shuhs-nis ]

noun

  1. the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
  2. the thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual or of an aggregate of people:

    the moral consciousness of a nation.

  3. full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life:

    to regain consciousness after fainting.

  4. awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge:

    consciousness of wrongdoing.

  5. concern, interest, or acute awareness:

    class consciousness.

  6. the mental activity of which a person is aware as contrasted with unconscious mental processes.
  7. Philosophy. the mind or the mental faculties as characterized by thought, feelings, and volition.


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Other Words From

  • under·conscious·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of consciousness1

First recorded in 1625–35; conscious + -ness
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. raise one's consciousness, to increase one's awareness and understanding of one's own needs, behavior, attitudes, etc., especially as a member of a particular social or political group.
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Example Sentences

As soon as the criminal left the shop, the victim snapped back into consciousness and tried to chase after him.

However we strain to distract ourselves, our consciousness of death heightens our awareness of evil.

However, this has reduced consciousness of risk among young people, making the message of fear meaningless.

And, as a result, an interesting and important text has burst out of the archives and into public consciousness.

Your acid experiences also seem to dovetail with expanding your musical consciousness.

The controlling center of consciousness is the extreme limit of the nares anteri.

A ray of Consciousness is passed over that impression and you re-read it, you re-awaken the record.

Mine should be of pure steel; I have ordered her out of my consciousness these last weeks at the point of the bayonet.

A trap-door had opened in the floor of his consciousness; his first, early love sheltered in his aching heart again.

I watched over you till you recovered consciousness of your own accord, and now—now I am here to guide you safely back to the inn.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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