un·con·scious
ˌən-ˈkän(t)-shəs 
1
a
: having lost consciousness
was unconscious for three days
b(1)
: not marked by conscious thought, sensation, or feeling
unconscious motivation
(2)
: of or relating to the unconscious
c
: not possessing mind or consciousness
unconscious matter
2
a
: not knowing or perceiving : not aware
b
: free from self-awareness
3
: not consciously held or deliberately planned or carried out
an unconscious bias
unconsciously
adverb
unconsciousness
noun
: the part of mental life that does not ordinarily enter the individual's awareness yet may influence behavior and perception or be revealed (as in slips of the tongue or in dreams)
Synonyms
Examples of unconscious in a Sentence
Adjective
He was knocked unconscious by a fall.
She was unconscious for three days after the accident.
Recent Examples on the Web
James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2024
Ever Seen' Civil War belongs more to the tradition of battle movies like The Thin Red Line or Apocalypse Now, in which war is the mysterious, ineluctable manifestation of the American will — perhaps its unconscious will.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
But instead of a smooth path ahead, the unfortunate thespians are dealt a hand that includes an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that has trouble remaining dead and clumsy actors who have difficulties remembering their lines.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Its platform also aims to use AI to combat unconscious bias practices that can crop up during the recruitment process.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
Like so many times in the halcyon days of the Warriors-Rockets rivalry, Thompson was unconscious.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
One tragedy is that Izzy is too unconscious to understand this.
—David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
This tagging process during waking hours is totally unconscious, Buzsáki said.
—Linda Carroll, NBC News, 29 Mar. 2024
No one else kept their eyes on my upside-down boat and no one else risked the current and strainers to drag an unconscious girl out of a kayak.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 2 Apr. 2024
Jessica Dulong, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024
In Florida, a high school student beat a paraprofessional unconscious.
—F. Chris Curran, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2023
Emergency medical workers arrived at the six-story brick building around 2:45 p.m. to find a 1-year-old unconscious, along with a 2-year-old boy and an 8-month-old girl.
—Claire Fahy, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2023
The Freudian unconscious can be crude, a blunt instrument with which to make sense of everything from a bad day to irritation at a parent.
—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023
But conjuring up the Freudian unconscious in conversations with my kids keeps him close.
—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023
In addition to his clinical work, my father was a researcher; his primary mission was to prove, empirically, the existence of the Freudian unconscious.
—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023
The treasure, of course, was the cause of neurotic symptoms, deeply buried in the unconscious.
—Elizabeth Winkler, The New Yorker, 23 June 2023
Officers responded to a central Florida home and found the 28-year-old unconscious in a bedroom, according to the Casselberry Police Department.
—Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 17 June 2023
Adjective
Officers were called to a home in the 1500 block of Lime Leaf Lane and, along with paramedics, began attempting life-saving measures on the unconscious child.
—James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2024
Ever Seen' Civil War belongs more to the tradition of battle movies like The Thin Red Line or Apocalypse Now, in which war is the mysterious, ineluctable manifestation of the American will — perhaps its unconscious will.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
But instead of a smooth path ahead, the unfortunate thespians are dealt a hand that includes an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that has trouble remaining dead and clumsy actors who have difficulties remembering their lines.
—The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Its platform also aims to use AI to combat unconscious bias practices that can crop up during the recruitment process.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
Like so many times in the halcyon days of the Warriors-Rockets rivalry, Thompson was unconscious.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
One tragedy is that Izzy is too unconscious to understand this.
—David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
This tagging process during waking hours is totally unconscious, Buzsáki said.
—Linda Carroll, NBC News, 29 Mar. 2024
No one else kept their eyes on my upside-down boat and no one else risked the current and strainers to drag an unconscious girl out of a kayak.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 2 Apr. 2024
Noun
Suddenly your unconscious has a chance to free-associate and encode information that may not seem relevant until your mind starts tying it together.
—Jessica Dulong, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024
In Florida, a high school student beat a paraprofessional unconscious.
—F. Chris Curran, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2023
Emergency medical workers arrived at the six-story brick building around 2:45 p.m. to find a 1-year-old unconscious, along with a 2-year-old boy and an 8-month-old girl.
—Claire Fahy, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2023
The Freudian unconscious can be crude, a blunt instrument with which to make sense of everything from a bad day to irritation at a parent.
—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023
But conjuring up the Freudian unconscious in conversations with my kids keeps him close.
—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023
In addition to his clinical work, my father was a researcher; his primary mission was to prove, empirically, the existence of the Freudian unconscious.
—Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023
The treasure, of course, was the cause of neurotic symptoms, deeply buried in the unconscious.
—Elizabeth Winkler, The New Yorker, 23 June 2023
Officers responded to a central Florida home and found the 28-year-old unconscious in a bedroom, according to the Casselberry Police Department.
—Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 17 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unconscious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near unconscious
Cite this Entry
“Unconscious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unconscious. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unconscious
1 of 2 adjective
un·con·scious
ˌən-ˈkän-chəs
ˈən-
1
: not aware
unconscious of having made a mistake
2
: having lost consciousness
knocked unconscious by a fall
3
: not realized : not consciously done
an unconscious mistake
unconscious humor
unconsciously
adverb
unconsciousness
noun
unconscious
2 of 2 noun
: the part of one's mental life of which one is not aware but which may influence behavior
Medical Definition
unconscious
1 of 2 adjective
un·con·scious
ˌən-ˈkän-chəs
1
: not marked by conscious thought, sensation, or feeling
unconscious motivation
2
: of or relating to the unconscious
3
: having lost consciousness
was unconscious for three days
unconsciously
adverb
unconsciousness
noun
unconscious
2 of 2 noun
: the part of mental life that is not ordinarily integrated or available to consciousness yet may be manifested as a motive force in overt behavior (as in neurosis) and is often revealed (as through dreams, slips of the tongue, or dissociated acts) compare subconscious
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