consciousness

con·scious·ness | \ ˈkän(t)-shəs-nəs

Definition of consciousness

1a : 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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about consciousness

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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 on the Web One of the victims, Josef Neumann, a great-grandfather, has not regained consciousness since suffering a skull fracture in the attack and remains in dire condition, his family has said. — Erin Donaghue, CBS News, "Suspect in Hanukkah stabbing rampage indicted on additional hate crime charges," 9 Jan. 2020 Once Reading medics responded to the scene Hodge regained consciousness for a few moments. — Madeline Mitchell, Cincinnati.com, "Police: Reading man rummaged through dead woman's trash, stole her credit card," 2 Jan. 2020 Bobbi Kristina Brown was rushed to a hospital but never regained consciousness and died July 26, 2015, while in hospice care. — Los Angeles Times, "Nick Gordon, who was found liable for death of partner Bobbi Kristina Brown, dies at 30," 1 Jan. 2020 The officer regained consciousness and pepper-sprayed a teen who was still assaulting him. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, "Off-duty California officer choked unconscious after defending woman against teens," 3 Dec. 2019 But another reason Latinos are viewed as outsiders is our erasure from the American consciousness. — Julissa Arce, Time, "Smithsonian Museums Are Supposed to Tell the American Story. So Where's the One Dedicated to Latinos?," 15 Oct. 2019 The horrific event largely faded from public consciousness. — John Maccormack, ExpressNews.com, "Story of Porvenir massacre finally being told," 27 Sep. 2019 A year later, the video has faded somewhat from the public consciousness, though the underlying issues — including gentrification that is pricing many of Oakland’s African-American residents out of the city — remain a hot-button issue. — Marisa Kendall, The Mercury News, "Oakland’s second ‘BBQing While Black’ party draws big crowds," 21 July 2019 Second, the conversation about Flint had faded from the public consciousness and that is a problem. — Danielle Kwateng-clark, Teen Vogue, "Jaden Smith On Flint, Michigan and How We Can All Change the World," 9 July 2019

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.

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Dictionary Entries near consciousness

conscientious objector

conscionable

conscious

consciousness

consciousness-raising

conscribe

conscript

Statistics for consciousness

Last Updated

23 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Consciousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consciousness. Accessed 1 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for consciousness

consciousness

noun

English Language Learners Definition of consciousness

: 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

See the full definition for consciousness in the English Language Learners Dictionary

consciousness

noun

con·scious·ness | \ ˈkän-shəs-nəs

Kids Definition of consciousness

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.

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 altered states of consciousness, such as sleep, dreaming and hypnosis— Bob Gaines

2 : waking life (as that to which one returns after sleep, trance, or fever) in which one's normal mental powers are present the ether wore off and the patient regained consciousness

3 : the upper part of mental life of which the person is aware as contrasted with unconscious processes

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