consciousness

noun con·scious·ness \ ˈkän(t)-shəs-nəs \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

Examples: consciousness in a Sentence

Definition of consciousness

1 a : the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself

b : the state or fact of being conscious of an external object, state, or fact

c : awareness; especially : concern for some social or political cause

The organization aims to raise the political consciousness of teenagers.

2 : the state of being characterized by sensation, emotion, volition, and thought : mind

3 : the totality of conscious states of an individual

4 : the normal state of conscious life

regained consciousness

5 : the upper level of mental life of which the person is aware as contrasted with unconscious processes

See consciousness defined for English-language learners

See consciousness defined for kids

Examples of consciousness in a Sentence

The medication caused her to enter an altered state of consciousness.
The events have become part of the national consciousness.
He hopes that he can raise public consciousness of the disease.

Recent Examples of consciousness from the Web

Luckily, Perry’s assistant was able to perform CPR on the tiny pup and bring the pet back to a state of consciousness.

— kelli bender, PEOPLE.com, "How to Give Your Pet CPR," 5 July 2018
Such questions have occupied humans since the dawn of consciousness.

— andrea gawrylewski, Scientific American, "The True Point of Searching for Alien Life; the Misuse of Genetics and Other New Science Books," 3 July 2018
Vik, with all his weight loss and loss of consciousness, gets diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

— refinery29.com, "The Affair Season 4, Episode 3 Recap: That's Some Crazy White People Stuff," 2 July 2018
According to the University of Notre Dame, a .26 blood-alcohol content is enough to induce alcohol poisoning and loss of consciousness.

— elliot hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Driver's blood-alcohol content was more than three times legal limit, Oak Creek police say," 26 June 2018
The hazmat crew had entered the building and was trying to determine what caused so many to suffer breathing problems, nausea and possible loss of consciousness.

— CBS News, ""Mass hysteria" at e-cigarette plant, 20 hospitalized," 25 June 2018
Not so much for the psychedelics part of it as the theories of consciousness.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Vox Editor at Large Ezra Klein on Recode Media," 14 June 2018
The show takes its name from host and Daily Beast critic Ira Madison III’s Twitter catchphrase about pop culture phenomena that need not enter our spheres of consciousness.

— eliana dockterman, Time, "Best Podcasts of 2018 So Far," 5 June 2018
The boy was completely unresponsive while the girl was in and out of consciousness, Dorris said.

— robert downen, Houston Chronicle, "2 children airlifted from Baytown after they were found unresponsive in a pool," 23 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'consciousness.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of consciousness

see ¹conscious

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1605

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

consciousness Synonyms

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

CONSCIOUSNESS Defined for English Language Learners

consciousness

noun

Definition of consciousness for English Language Learners

: the condition of being conscious : the normal state of being awake and able to understand what is happening around you
: a person's mind and thoughts
: knowledge that is shared by a group of people

CONSCIOUSNESS Defined for Kids

consciousness

noun con·scious·ness \ ˈkän-shəs-nəs \

Definition of consciousness for Students

1 : the condition of being mentally awake and active

Following surgery, she slowly regained consciousness.

2 : the part of the mind involving thought and awareness

The memory is preserved in my consciousness.

3 : knowledge of something specified

News reports raised consciousness of the problem.

Medical Dictionary

consciousness

noun con·scious·ness \ ˈkän-chə-snəs \

medical Definition of consciousness

1 : the totality in psychology of sensations, perceptions, ideas, attitudes, and feelings of which an individual or a group is aware at any given time or within a given time span