stream of consciousness

¹

noun

1. Psychology. thought regarded as a succession of ideas and images constantly moving forward in time.
2. interior monologue.

stream-of-consciousness

²

[ streem-uhv-kon-shuhs-nis ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by a manner of writing in which a character's thoughts or perceptions are presented as occurring in random form, without regard for logical sequences, syntactic structure, distinctions between various levels of reality, or the like:

   a stream-of-consciousness novel; a stream-of-consciousness technique.

stream of consciousness

noun

1. psychol the continuous flow of ideas, thoughts, and feelings forming the content of an individual's consciousness. The term was originated by William James
2. 1. a literary technique that reveals the flow of thoughts and feelings of characters through long passages of soliloquy
   2. ( as modifier )

      a stream-of-consciousness novel

stream of consciousness

1. A kind of writing that presents the thoughts of a person or character as they occur. Stream-of-consciousness writing uses devices such as characters speaking to themselves, free association, and lists of words. William Faulkner , James Joyce , and Virginia Woolf wrote stream-of-consciousness novels .

Word History and Origins

Origin of stream of consciousness¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Trump’s time in the White House during the pandemic was fraught with stream-of-consciousness sound bites that often contradicted national or global health advisories.

From Salon

Knowing she wanted to honour her heroes, á la Daft Punk’s Teachers, she flicked through her phone 'til she re-discovered that late-night stream-of-consciousness.

From BBC

Critics might argue that Trump has something to do with that with his stream-of-consciousness rallies, divisive social media posts and his own promises to act is a dictator on his first day in office.

From Los Angeles Times

That’s also the case at news conferences, in which Harbaugh’s stream-of-consciousness soliloquies and unusual word choices often make reporters glance at one another with amusement.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2014, he wrote a stream-of-consciousness screed for the magazine Magnet titled “From the desk of hard working Americans: Sierra Elizabeth Ferrell.”

From Los Angeles Times