self-conscious

adjective

self-con·​scious ˌself-ˈkän(t)-shəs 

1

a

: conscious of one's own acts or states as belonging to or originating in oneself : aware of oneself as an individual

b

: intensely aware of oneself : conscious

a rising and self-conscious social class

also : produced or done with such awareness

self-conscious art

2

: uncomfortably conscious of oneself as an object of the observation of others : ill at ease

self-consciously adverb

self-consciousness noun

Examples of self-conscious in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jaime has spent half her life watching herself from a self-conscious remove. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026

But The Moment is too self-conscious to really commit to such silliness. —Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026

That said, international filmmaking is in feeble shape, partly because of the jambalaya of international co-productions, partly because of the inroads of television aesthetics, and partly because of the cloistered aestheticism of self-conscious art-house cinema. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026

When a young Parton felt self-conscious about her homemade clothes, her mother would remind her of the Biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. —Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for self-conscious

• conscious
• preconscious
• subconscious
• unconscious

Kids Definition

self-conscious

adjective

self-con·​scious

ˈself-ˈkän-chəs

: uncomfortably conscious of oneself as an object of the observation of others

self-consciously adverb

self-consciousness noun