consciousness

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

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

But city planners in Berlin, Germany, are moving beyond the heated seats and bum sprays to bring social consciousness to public toilets, the BBC reports.

— katie van syckle, The Cut, "German Engineers Want to Bring Gender Equality to Public Toilets," 12 Aug. 2017
With roots in hip-hop, step dancing uses percussive body language and spoken words, in this case to convey anger and sorrow, to raise consciousness and demand answers about killings like that of Gray.

— walter addiego, kansascity, "‘Step’ documentary is an inspiring leap toward empowerment," 10 Aug. 2017
When the school summoned her that day to collect Gabriel, Reynolds has said no one informed her that Gabriel had lost consciousness or that at least one other student had been involved.

— anne saker, Cincinnati.com, "Gabriel Taye's parents: No one 'should ever have to go through that'," 8 Aug. 2017
By then, the town was gaining the grim reputation for blight and violence that The Wire would later brand onto the popular consciousness.

— david amsden, Smithsonian, "How Baltimore Quietly Became the East Coast’s Next Cool City," 31 July 2017
FC Cincinnati used its first-ever friendly match against South London's Crystal Palace FC from the big-money, high-powered English Premier League as a stage to thrust itself into the mainstream American soccer consciousness.

— patrick brennan, The Courier-Journal, "How FC Cincinnati booked a marquee friendly against Valencia CF," 21 July 2017
At 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, elements of the outdoors are infused into each room, with every detail meticulously engineered to meet the highest standards of eco-consciousness, right down to the hemp-blend mattresses and organic sheets.

— Daily Intelligencer, "5 Luxe NYC Hotels Perfect for a Quick Summer Staycation," 30 June 2017
Lori Schmidt, Scottsdale Fire Department spokeswoman, said Ryan regained consciousness on the way to the hospital.

— april morganroth, USA TODAY, "How an 'angel' off-duty nurse prevented a tragedy," 27 June 2017
Cokefair added after people pulled the child out, the child regained consciousness and was coughing up water.

— frank s. abderholden, Lake County News-Sun, "Child hospitalized after being pulled from pool in Antioch," 26 June 2017

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

See Words from the same year

consciousness Synonyms

Synonyms

advertence, advertency, awareness, cognizance, attention, ear, eye, heed, knowledge, mindfulness, note, notice, observance, observation

Related Words

hyperawareness, hyperconsciousness; advisement, care, concern, consideration, regard, watch; apprehension, discernment, grasp, mind, perception, recognition, thought, understanding

Near Antonyms

disregard, neglect, obliviousness, unawareness

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