1. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE, ADJECTIVE noun, ADJECTIVE after verb]
Someone who is unconscious is in a state similar to sleep, usually as the result of a serious injury or a lack of oxygen.
By the time ambulancemen arrived he was unconscious.
Synonyms: senseless, knocked out, out cold [informal], out More Synonyms of unconscious
unconsciousnessuncountable noun
He knew that he might soon lapse into unconsciousness.
Synonyms: insensibility, oblivion, blackout, coma More Synonyms of unconscious
2. adjective
If you are unconscious of something, you are unaware of it.
He himself seemed totally unconscious of his failure. [+ of]
Mr Battersby was apparently quite unconscious of their presence.
Synonyms: unaware, ignorant, oblivious, unsuspecting More Synonyms of unconscious
unconsciouslyadverb [usually ADVERB with verb, oft ADVERB adjective]
He watched the game very intently and often unconsciously swung his right leg.
3. adjective
If feelings or attitudes are unconscious, you are not aware that you have them, but they show in the way that you behave.
Unconscious envy manifests itself very often as this kind of arrogance.
'You're well out of it,' Christopher said with unconscious brutality.
Synonyms: unintentional, unwitting, unintended, inadvertent More Synonyms of unconscious
unconsciouslyadverb [ADVERB with verb, ADVERB adjective]
She may be trying unconsciously to draw attention to herself.
I think racism is unconsciously inherent in practically everyone.
4. singular noun
Your unconscious is the part of your mind that contains feelings and ideas that you do not know about or cannot control.
In examining the content of the unconscious, Freud called into question some deeply-heldbeliefs.
More Synonyms of unconscious
unconscious in British English
(ʌnˈkɒnʃəs)
adjective
1.
lacking normal sensory awareness of the environment; insensible
2.
not aware of one's actions, behaviour, etc
unconscious of his bad manners
3.
characterized by lack of awareness or intention
an unconscious blunder
4.
coming from or produced by the unconscious
unconscious resentment
noun
5. psychoanalysis
the part of the mind containing instincts, impulses, images, and ideas that are not available for direct examination
See also collective unconscious, Compare subconscious, preconscious
Derived forms
unconsciously (unˈconsciously)
adverb
unconscious in American English
(ʌnˈkɑnʃəs)
adjective
1.
a.
not endowed with consciousness; mindless
b.
temporarily deprived of consciousness
unconscious from a blow on the head
2.
not aware (of)
unconscious of his mistake
3.
not known, realized, or intended; not done, said, etc. on purpose
an unconscious habit, unconscious humor
4.
not aware of one's own existence; not conscious of self
5.
having to do with those of one's mental processes that one is unable to bring into one's consciousness
Idioms:
the unconscious
Derived forms
unconsciously (unˈconsciously)
adverb
unconsciousness (unˈconsciousness)
noun
Examples of 'unconscious' in a sentence
unconscious
Other explanations could include conscious or unconscious discrimination or more subtle employment processes that led to cultural matching in the workplace.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
We will go on learning about ourselves and about our conscious and unconscious minds.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This is a language of the collective unconscious.
Siegel, Bernie S. (MD) Love, Medicine and Miracles (1990)
The unconscious mind is your larger mind.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The dramatic chase leaves one person unconscious.
The Sun (2011)
We all have implicit or unconscious biases that impact our behavior.
Christianity Today (2000)
He was unconscious by the time he was hauled back.
The Sun (2011)
The resulting pamphlet is quite unconscious of its own courage.
Diane Purkiss The English Civil War: A People's History (2006)
Recent work has confirmed this unconscious awareness.
Siegel, Bernie S. (MD) Love, Medicine and Miracles (1990)
Police who spotted their torch found one unconscious.
The Sun (2007)
School leaders also have a responsibility to tackle unconscious bias where it creeps in.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
He was unconscious by the time he reached the surface and was declared dead by paramedics.
The Sun (2013)
They chatted for ten minutes before he is next seen picking up her limp and apparently unconscious body.
The Sun (2015)
Your unconscious mind will come up with new ways of looking at things and answers to your problems.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
If we set our intention, often our unconscious mind will follow.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
You shouldn't mess with the collective unconscious of the nation like that.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It is often unconscious but no less damaging for that,' he said.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
One of the crew said: 'She was missing overnight and was unconscious for quite a while.
The Sun (2010)
Half paralysed and often unconscious, she was returned to Mombasa and put on a ship for home.
Cameron, Kenneth M Into Africa - a social history of the East African Safari (1989)
Politicians and commentators have an unconscious need to persuade themselves - and a conscious need to persuade their audience - that this crash was avoidable.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Quotations
The images of the unconscious place a great responsibility upon a man. Failure to understand them, or a shirking of ethical responsibility, deprives him of his wholeness and imposes a painful fragmentariness on his lifeCarl JungMemories, Dreams, Reflections
Word lists with
unconscious
Psychology terms
In other languages
unconscious
British English: unconscious /ʌnˈkɒnʃəs/ ADJECTIVE
Someone who is unconscious is in a state similar to sleep, as a result of a shock, accident, or injury.
By the time ambulancemen arrived, he was unconscious.
American English: unconscious
Arabic: غَيْرُ وَاعٍ
Brazilian Portuguese: inconsciente
Chinese: 不省人事的
Croatian: bez svijesti
Czech: v bezvědomí
Danish: ubevidst
Dutch: buiten bewustzijn
European Spanish: inconsciente
Finnish: tiedoton
French: inconscient
German: bewusstlos
Greek: λιπόθυμος
Italian: privo di sensi
Japanese: 意識を失った
Korean: 무의식의
Norwegian: bevisstløs
Polish: nieświadomy
European Portuguese: inconsciente
Romanian: inconștient
Russian: бессознательный
Latin American Spanish: inconsciente
Swedish: omedveten
Thai: ไม่รู้สึกตัว
Turkish: bilinçsiz
Ukrainian: непритомний
Vietnamese: bất tỉnh
Chinese translation of 'unconscious'
unconscious
(ʌnˈkɔnʃəs)
adj
(= not awake) 失去知觉(覺)的 (shīqù zhījué de)
(= not deliberate) 无(無)意的 (wú yì de)
(= unaware)
unconscious of未察觉(覺)的 (wèi chájué de)
n
the unconscious潜(潛)意识(識) (qiányìshí)
to knock/beat sb unconscious把某人打昏过(過)去 (bǎ mǒurén dǎhūn guòqù)
1 (adjective)
Definition
unable to notice or respond to things which one would normally be aware of through the senses
By the time ambulancemen arrived he was unconscious.
Synonyms
senseless
Then I saw my boy lying senseless on the floor.
knocked out
out cold (informal)
He was lying on the ground nearby, out cold.
out
stunned
numb
The mother, numb with grief, had trouble speaking.
dazed
By the end of the interview I was dazed and exhausted.
blacked out (informal)
in a coma
comatose
The right side of my brain had been so severely bruised that I was comatose for a month.
stupefied
asleep
My daughter was asleep on the sofa.
out for the count (informal)
insensible
dead to the world (informal)
Opposites
conscious
,
awake
,
sensible
2 (adjective)
Definition
not aware of one's actions or behaviour
Mr Battersby was apparently quite unconscious of their presence.
Synonyms
unaware
She was unaware that she was being filmed.
ignorant
Many people are worryingly ignorant of the facts.
oblivious
She appeared oblivious to her surroundings.
unsuspecting
selling junk bonds to thousands of unsuspecting depositors
lost to
blind to
in ignorance
unknowing
Opposites
aware
,
conscious
,
alert
,
sensible
3 (adjective)
Definition
not realized or intended
‘You're well out of it,’ he said with unconscious brutality.
Synonyms
unintentional
There are moments of unintentional humour.
unwitting
It had been an unwitting blunder on his part.
unintended
inadvertent
The government has said it was an inadvertent error.
accidental
The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.
unpremeditated
Opposites
planned
,
conscious
, deliberate,
intentional
,
studied
,
calculated
,
wilful
4 (adjective)
Definition
coming from or produced by the unconscious
an unconscious desire expressed solely during sleep
Synonyms
subconscious
a subconscious cry for affection
automatic
the automatic body functions, such as breathing
suppressed
repressed
inherent
the dangers inherent in an outbreak of war
reflex
I turned to look inside the house in a reflex action.
instinctive
It's an instinctive reaction. If a child falls you pick it up.
innate
As a race, they have an innate sense of fairness.
hard-wired
involuntary
A surge of pain caused me to give an involuntary shudder.
latent
Advertisements attempt to project a latent meaning behind an overt message.
subliminal
subliminal advertising
unrealized
gut (informal)
At first my gut reaction was to simply walk out of there.
phrase
See the unconscious
Quotation
The images of the unconscious place a great responsibility upon a man. Failure to understand them, or a shirking of ethical responsibility, deprives him of his wholeness and imposes a painful fragmentariness on his life [Carl Jung – Memories, Dreams, Reflections]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of accidental
Definition
occurring by chance or unintentionally
The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.
Synonyms
unintentional,
unexpected,
incidental,
unforeseen,
unintended,
unplanned,
unpremeditated
in the sense of asleep
Definition
in or into a state of sleep
My daughter was asleep on the sofa.
Synonyms
sleeping,
napping,
dormant,
crashed out (slang),
dozing,
slumbering,
snoozing (informal),
fast asleep,
sound asleep,
out for the count,
dead to the world (informal),
in a deep sleep
in the sense of automatic
Definition
done without conscious thought
the automatic body functions, such as breathing
Synonyms
involuntary,
natural,
unconscious,
mechanical,
spontaneous,
reflex,
instinctive,
instinctual,
unwilled
Synonyms of 'unconscious'
unconscious
Explore 'unconscious' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of comatose
Definition
in a coma
The right side of my brain had been so severely bruised that I was comatose for a month.
Synonyms
unconscious,
in a coma,
out cold,
insensible,
insensate,
soporose
in the sense of dazed
By the end of the interview I was dazed and exhausted.
Synonyms
shocked,
stunned,
confused,
staggered,
baffled,
at sea,
bewildered,
muddled,
numbed,
dizzy,
bemused,
perplexed,
disorientated,
flabbergasted (informal),
dopey (slang),
groggy (informal),
stupefied,
nonplussed,
light-headed,
flummoxed,
punch-drunk,
woozy (informal),
fuddled
in the sense of gut
At first my gut reaction was to simply walk out of there.
Synonyms
instinctive,
natural,
basic,
emotional,
spontaneous,
innate,
intuitive,
hard-wired,
involuntary,
heartfelt,
deep-seated,
unthinking
in the sense of ignorant
Definition
lacking in awareness or knowledge of
Many people are worryingly ignorant of the facts.
Synonyms
uninformed of,
unaware of,
oblivious to,
blind to,
innocent of,
in the dark about,
unconscious of,
unschooled in,
out of the loop of,
inexperienced of,
uninitiated about,
unknowing of,
unenlightened about,
unwitting of
in the sense of inadvertent
Definition
done unintentionally
The government has said it was an inadvertent error.
Synonyms
unintentional,
accidental,
unintended,
chance,
careless,
negligent,
unwitting,
unplanned,
thoughtless,
unthinking,
heedless,
unpremeditated,
unheeding
in the sense of inherent
Definition
existing as an inseparable part
the dangers inherent in an outbreak of war
Synonyms
intrinsic,
natural,
basic,
central,
essential,
native,
fundamental,
underlying,
hereditary,
instinctive,
innate,
ingrained,
elemental,
congenital,
inborn,
inbred,
inbuilt,
immanent,
hard-wired,
connate,
inherited,
in your blood
in the sense of innate
Definition
existing from birth, rather than acquired
As a race, they have an innate sense of fairness.
Synonyms
inborn,
natural,
inherent,
essential,
native,
constitutional,
inherited,
indigenous,
instinctive,
intuitive,
intrinsic,
ingrained,
congenital,
inbred,
immanent,
in your blood,
hard-wired,
connate
in the sense of insensible
Synonyms
unaware,
cold,
unconscious,
deaf,
indifferent,
untouched,
oblivious,
unaffected,
callous,
unmoved,
impervious,
apathetic,
impassive,
unresponsive,
unfeeling,
hard-hearted,
unmindful,
unsusceptible
in the sense of instinctive
Definition
done or happening without any logical thought
It's an instinctive reaction. If a child falls you pick it up.
Synonyms
natural,
inborn,
automatic,
unconscious,
mechanical,
native,
inherent,
spontaneous,
reflex,
innate,
intuitive,
subconscious,
involuntary,
visceral,
unthinking,
instinctual,
unlearned,
hard-wired,
unpremeditated,
intuitional
in the sense of involuntary
Definition
(esp. of a movement or muscle) performed or acting without conscious control
A surge of pain caused me to give an involuntary shudder.
Synonyms
unintentional,
automatic,
unconscious,
spontaneous,
reflex,
instinctive,
uncontrolled,
unthinking,
instinctual,
blind,
unconditioned
Additional synonyms
in the sense of latent
Definition
lying hidden and not yet developed within a person or thing
Advertisements attempt to project a latent meaning behind an overt message.
Synonyms
hidden,
secret,
concealed,
invisible,
lurking,
veiled,
inherent,
unseen,
dormant,
undeveloped,
quiescent,
immanent,
unrealized,
unexpressed
in the sense of numb
Definition
deprived of feeling through cold, shock, or fear
The mother, numb with grief, had trouble speaking.
Synonyms
stupefied,
deadened,
unfeeling,
insensible
in the sense of oblivious
Definition
unaware or unconscious
She appeared oblivious to her surroundings.
Synonyms
unaware,
unconscious,
ignorant,
regardless,
careless,
negligent,
blind to,
unaffected by,
impervious to,
forgetful,
deaf to,
unconcerned about,
neglectful,
heedless,
inattentive,
insensible,
unmindful,
unobservant,
disregardful,
incognizant
in the sense of out cold
He was lying on the ground nearby, out cold.
Synonyms
unconscious,
out,
knocked out,
stunned,
numb,
senseless,
blacked out (informal),
comatose,
out for the count,
insensible,
dead to the world (informal)
in the sense of reflex
Definition
of or caused by a reflex
I turned to look inside the house in a reflex action.
Synonyms
automatic,
spontaneous,
instinctive,
involuntary,
impulsive,
knee-jerk,
unthinking
in the sense of subliminal
Definition
resulting from or relating to mental processes of which the individual is not aware
subliminal advertising
Synonyms
subconscious,
hidden,
concealed,
unconscious
in the sense of unsuspecting
Definition
having no idea of what is happening or about to happen
selling junk bonds to thousands of unsuspecting depositors