stream of consciousness

noun phrase

1
: the continuous unedited chronological flow of conscious experience through the mind
2

Examples of stream of consciousness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The reader bobs along in the author’s stream of consciousness, riding crests of despair, anger, and hilarity as Toews assembles the shards of her past to investigate her will to write, which is deeply entwined with her will to live. Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2025 Part three includes a compelling contrast between a stream of consciousness style and a formal, academic register. Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025 Storytelling technique: Epistolary (3%), stream of consciousness (11%), stories within stories (24%). Literary Hub, 4 June 2025 English writer Virginia Woolf used the semicolon profusely in her novel Mrs. Dalloway—more than 1,000 semicolons dot its 194 pages to reflect the protagonist’s stream of consciousness. Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 June 2025 And despite what most critics say, Mary Hooligan’s narrative is not stream of consciousness; the prose is far more orderly and visibly composed. Jane Alison june 17, Literary Hub, 17 June 2025 But it’s told as a pure work of stream of consciousness, as if Virginia Woolf had decided to rewrite a book by Thomas Hardy. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025 Instead of actual reporting, social media can offer a stream of consciousness that often misses key nuances. Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025 This takes about 20 minutes, at which point Rahma and cohost Andrew Kuo (co-creator of Subway Takes) valiantly try to talk through the clip and end up immediately devolving into a stream of consciousness babble. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stream of consciousness was in 1855

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Cite this Entry

“Stream of consciousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stream%20of%20consciousness. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.

Medical Definition

stream of consciousness

noun
: the continuous unedited flow of conscious experience through the mind

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