unconscious

1 of 2

adjective

un·​con·​scious ˌən-ˈkän(t)-shəs 

1

a

: having lost consciousness

was unconscious for three days

b(1)

: not marked by conscious thought, sensation, or feeling

unconscious motivation

(2)

: of or relating to the unconscious

c

: not possessing mind or consciousness

unconscious matter

2

a

: not knowing or perceiving : not aware

b

: free from self-awareness

3

: not consciously held or deliberately planned or carried out

an unconscious bias

unconsciously adverb

unconsciousness noun

unconscious

2 of 2

noun

: the part of mental life that does not ordinarily enter the individual's awareness yet may influence behavior and perception or be revealed (as in slips of the tongue or in dreams)

Synonyms of unconscious

Adjective

• cold
• senseless

Examples of unconscious in a Sentence

Adjective

He was knocked unconscious by a fall.

She was unconscious for three days after the accident.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Police are investigating the death of a 17-year-old girl who was found unconscious near her residence in East Windsor on Monday after she was reported missing earlier that morning. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026

The deployment of cringe might seems like a ridiculous, even unconscious, exercise by an administration that – as with the five-day tenure of former press secretary Katie Zacharia shows – regularly exposes itself to derision and satire. — Matthew N. Hannah, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026

Noun

Though dreams are tangled up in our desires, Freud’s royal road to the unconscious is not unlike the road in Lost Highway, and other similar Möbius strip horrors, such as the purgatorial Dead End. — Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026

Hudson was taken into custody in July 2024 after police found her son Joseph unconscious and Hudson trying to revive him at their home in Tampa, the Tampa Bay Times reported. — Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1712, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Noun

1818, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing unconscious

• collective unconscious

Rhymes for unconscious

• conscious
• preconscious
• subconscious

Kids Definition

unconscious

1 of 2 adjective

un·​con·​scious ˌən-ˈkän-chəs 

ˈən-

1

: not aware

unconscious of having made a mistake

2

: having lost consciousness

knocked unconscious by a fall

3

: not realized : not consciously done

an unconscious mistake

unconscious humor

unconsciously adverb

unconsciousness noun

unconscious

2 of 2 noun

: the part of one's mental life of which one is not aware but which may influence behavior

Medical Definition

unconscious

1 of 2 adjective

un·​con·​scious ˌən-ˈkän-chəs 

1

: not marked by conscious thought, sensation, or feeling

unconscious motivation

2

: of or relating to the unconscious

3

: having lost consciousness

was unconscious for three days

unconsciously adverb

unconsciousness noun

unconscious

2 of 2 noun

: the part of mental life that is not ordinarily integrated or available to consciousness yet may be manifested as a motive force in overt behavior (as in neurosis) and is often revealed (as through dreams, slips of the tongue, or dissociated acts) compare subconscious