consciousness

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

Updated on: 15 May 2018

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

Its antecedents in the operetta and music hall traditions had largely passed out of pop consciousness.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Review: A Multiple-Exposure ‘Me and My Girl’ at Encores!," 10 May 2018
Our community has often been taught to look for leaders of social consciousness who drive the thought of all who exist below.

— george johnson, The Root, "Black Genius: A Privilege Afforded Only to Straight Black Men," 9 May 2018
Perhaps some kind of rudimentary consciousness could emerge in a sufficiently complex machine.

— marcelo gleiser, Scientific American, "How Much Can We Know?," 8 May 2018
Why should an entity that could be equally present in a thousand locations at once, possessed of a kind of Starbucks consciousness, cherish any particular tenderness for beings who on bad days can barely roll out of bed?

— tad friend, The New Yorker, "How Frightened Should We Be of A.I.?," 7 May 2018
Gonzalez, meanwhile, was fading in and out of consciousness with a neck fracture and a puncture lung.

— hanna krueger, NOLA.com, "Man's crime spree leaves New Mexico tourists battered and stranded in New Orleans," 6 May 2018
Columbia’s union-busting is a bid to prevent a sense of class consciousness from taking root in its student workforce.

— sarah jones, The New Republic, "Columbia’s War On Labor," 1 May 2018
Crosby often ends up on a secondary tier of the hockey world's consciousness.

— adam kilgore, chicagotribune.com, "The subtle secret to Sidney Crosby's greatness," 30 Apr. 2018
Other than that brief period, however, its focus has always looked to Boston as a microcosm of black consciousness in America.

— james sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, "WGBH’s ‘Basic Black’ celebrates a big anniversary," 24 Apr. 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