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
Amid them all, Ian Edwards’s confidently unflappable work stands out as the least self-conscious about the meaning of life, but Edwards’s is every bit as thoughtful and well-crafted.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2025
In his sketches, even the most oddball figures—a focus-group participant with terrible ideas, a man struggling to back out of a parking lot—are self-conscious about their unpopularity.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2025
In the two weeks immediately after her operation, Evans felt too self-conscious of her healing wounds to leave the house.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
Irm is an anxious, self-conscious, fearful woman, and Geisler-Bading gives the film’s most subtly wrenching performance; her character seems permanently out of synch with the world, unable to look past her own unhappiness.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
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Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2025
In his sketches, even the most oddball figures—a focus-group participant with terrible ideas, a man struggling to back out of a parking lot—are self-conscious about their unpopularity.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2025
In the two weeks immediately after her operation, Evans felt too self-conscious of her healing wounds to leave the house.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
Irm is an anxious, self-conscious, fearful woman, and Geisler-Bading gives the film’s most subtly wrenching performance; her character seems permanently out of synch with the world, unable to look past her own unhappiness.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-conscious
Cite this Entry
“Self-conscious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-conscious. Accessed 9 Dec. 2025.
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