collective unconscious

noun

: the inherited part of the unconscious that especially in the psychoanalytic theory of Carl Gustav Jung occurs in and is shared by all the members of a people or race

Examples of collective unconscious in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those who never took Psychology 101 will also learn how by contrast, Carl Jung interpreted dreams in terms of eternal archetypes from the collective unconscious. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 24 June 2025

Successfully branding a city can significantly boost visibility and tourism, searing memorable taglines into the collective unconscious of potential visitors. —Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025

Trapped: Mind-Altering Shorts Date & Venue TBA Tap into the collective unconscious of a rogue’s gallery of grifters, hermits, and sociopaths with our infamous showcase of gloriously confounding cinematic curios. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 12 May 2025

Jeanne Herry’s restorative-justice masterpiece humanizes our collective unconscious. —Armond White, National Review, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

translation of German kollektives Unbewusstes

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for collective unconscious

• conscious
• preconscious
• subconscious

Medical Definition

collective unconscious

noun

col·​lec·​tive unconscious kə-ˈlek-tiv- 

: the genetically determined part of the unconscious that especially in the psychoanalytic theory of C. G. Jung occurs in all the members of a people or race