consciousness

noun

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

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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

It has been reported that 9.3% of the concussions involved loss of consciousness and 2.4% of the concussions resulted in hospitalization. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "What a lifetime of playing football can do to the human brain," 4 Feb. 2019 With LanCaster losing consciousness in the dwindling oxygen supply and getting thrashed by fierce winds, the crew feared the worst outcome. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "8 Emergency Landings That Rival the 'Miracle on the Hudson'," 15 Jan. 2019 The ugly brutality of the former and the winking self-consciousness of the latter have both run their course. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, "The Artfully Made Hereditary Is the Latest Horror Film to Elevate the Genre," 7 June 2018 And this consciousness of community is the essence of SpringComing. — Felice León, The Root, "HBCU SpringComing Brings Black-School Spirit to New York City," 23 Apr. 2018 Cousy’s consciousness of black oppression grew steadily during his playing days and matured into greater understanding. — David M. Shribman, WSJ, "‘The Last Pass’ Book Review: Passing Acquaintances," 16 Nov. 2018 Further Reading Ars on your lunch break: This is your brain on video games The main topic today is consciousness. — Rob Reid, Ars Technica, "Ars on your lunch break: The nature of consciousness," 12 Oct. 2018 Getting older has really blunted the self-consciousness of my youth, in a good way. — Abby Langer, SELF, "12 Actually Really Good Things That Have Come With Getting Older," 13 Aug. 2018 The sentiment grew, but Father’s Day didn’t gain an equal, legislatively enacted footing until 1972, possibly as a nod to — or maybe even in reaction to — the nation’s emerging consciousness about equal rights for women. — John D'anna, azcentral, "On Father's Day, dads don't need (or want) you to go through the motions," 15 June 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.

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Dictionary Entries near consciousness

conscientious objector

conscionable

conscious

consciousness

consciousness-raising

conscribe

conscript

Statistics for consciousness

Last Updated

17 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for consciousness

The first known use of consciousness was in 1605

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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