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 Words From

• qua·si-un·con·scious·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of unconsciously¹

unconscious ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

It is common for partisan passions and selective fact-telling to shape reporting, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously.

From Salon

"We process things unconsciously as we are told to. 'Apples are supposed to look like this,' that is a human bias. By extension, it is a type of stereotyping," said Yoon.

From Salon

She went on to say that her husband started "pulling away a bit" in what she thinks was an effort, consciously or unconsciously, to ready her for his death.

From BBC

For centuries, humans have used yeast, consciously or unconsciously, to produce fermented foods, such as wine, beer and bread.

From Salon

“I used to come to Lozano’s all the time with my dad,” I start rambling out unconsciously as he nods at me, clearly the recipient of much nostalgia.

From Salon

Related Words

• unintentionally
• unknowingly
• unwittingly