1. countable noun [usually singular, usually poss NOUN]
Your consciousness is your mind and your thoughts.
That idea has been creeping into our consciousness for some time.
2. uncountable noun
The consciousness of a group of people is their set of ideas, attitudes, and beliefs.
The Greens were the catalysts of a necessary change in the European consciousness.
3. uncountable noun
You use consciousness to refer to an interest in and knowledge of a particular subject or idea.
Her political consciousness sprang from her upbringing.
Synonyms: awareness, understanding, knowledge, recognition More Synonyms of consciousness
4. uncountable noun
Consciousness is the state of being awake rather than being asleep or unconscious. If someone loses consciousness, they become unconscious, and if they regain consciousness, they become conscious after being unconscious.
She banged her head and lost consciousness.
He drifted in and out of consciousness.
Synonyms: sentience, awareness, sensibility More Synonyms of consciousness
5. See also stream of consciousness
consciousness in American English
(ˈkɑnʃəsnɪs)
noun
1.
the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own feelings, what is happening around one, etc.
2.
the totality of one's thoughts, feelings, and impressions; conscious mind
Examples of 'consciousness' in a sentence
consciousness
She failed to regain consciousness after the surgery and died eight hours after giving birth.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
I'm not sure if he lost consciousness but he did lose a lot of blood.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Her condition stabilised but she only regained full consciousness two weeks ago.
The Sun (2011)
He took off his oxygen mask while clinging on outside the plane and lost consciousness.
The Sun (2012)
Over the years their efforts helped raise the consciousness of many people.
Goshgarian, Gary Exploring language (6th edn) (1995)
The onus is on our writers to augment our social and political consciousness.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It is required reading for anyone interested in the nature of human consciousness.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
We go from collective consciousness to an age where we value individual freedom more than anything.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He received treatment but failed to regain consciousness and died in the early hours of yesterday.
The Sun (2015)
He soon lost consciousness and a team of doctors were working on him.
The Sun (2010)
My political consciousness has grown over the years.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Now it is central to our collective consciousness.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
But he regained consciousness and tests showed he may need only dental treatment.
The Sun (2012)
It is the working ejection seat that is so deeply ingrained in the consciousness of people about my age.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Suddenly the pilot loses consciousness, slumping against the window as the engines die down.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The question now is whether that change of consciousness has become part of our own day-to-day lives.
Bachmann, Susan (editor) & Barth, Melinda Between Worlds: A Reader, Rhetoric and Handbook (1995)
Yet these are catchphrases of war, embedded in the national consciousness from an earlier age.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It's the sphere of human consciousness on the planet.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
All music comes from folk music, from the music of the group consciousness attuned to the environment.
Stewart, R J Music and the Elemental Psyche: A Practical Guide to Music and Changing Consciousness (1987)
There is growing consciousness that the changes in economic and industrial systems currently taking place are part of a far wider process of change.
Tom Cannon Basic Marketing. Principles and Practice (1986)
More groups gained political consciousness.
Stearns, Peter N. World History: Patterns of Change and Continuity (1995)
It is also possible to sink under the surface of the pond, into deeper layers of consciousness as time goes by.
Chaitow, Leon The Beat Fatigue Workbook - how to identify the causes (1988)
Time consciousness: The perception of time is famously cultural.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
She said: 'I hit the ground and lost consciousness.
The Sun (2007)
Quotations
Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made knownRoger PenroseThe Emperor's New Mind
Word lists with
consciousness
Psychology terms
In other languages
consciousness
British English: consciousness /ˈkɒnʃəsnɪs/ NOUN
Your consciousness consists of your mind, thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes.
Ideas came flowing into his consciousness.
American English: consciousness
Arabic: وَعْي
Brazilian Portuguese: consciência
Chinese: 意识
Croatian: svijest
Czech: vědomí
Danish: bevidsthed
Dutch: bewustzijn
European Spanish: conciencia conocimiento
Finnish: tajunta
French: conscience
German: Bewusstsein
Greek: συναίσθηση
Italian: coscienza
Japanese: 意識
Korean: 의식
Norwegian: bevissthet
Polish: świadomość
European Portuguese: consciência
Romanian: conștiință
Russian: сознание
Latin American Spanish: conciencia
Swedish: medvetande
Thai: การรู้สึกตัว
Turkish: bilinçlilik
Ukrainian: свідомість
Vietnamese: sự tỉnh táo
All related terms of 'consciousness'
class consciousness
awareness of belonging to a particular social rank or grade
consciousness raising
Consciousness raising is the process of developing awareness of an unfair situation, with the aim of making people want to help in changing it.
stream of consciousness
If you describe what someone writes or says as a stream of consciousness , you mean that it expresses their thoughts as they occur, rather than in a structured way.
altered state of consciousness
any modification of the normal state of consciousness or awareness, including drowsiness or sleep and also states created by the use of alcohol , drugs, hypnosis , or techniques of meditation
self-conscious
Someone who is self-conscious is easily embarrassed and nervous because they feel that everyone is looking at them and judging them.
class-conscious
Someone who is class-conscious is very aware of the differences between the various classes of people in society , and often has a strong feeling of belonging to a particular class.
Chinese translation of 'consciousness'
consciousness
(ˈkɔnʃəsnɪs)
n
(u) (Med) 知觉(覺) (zhījué)
(c/u) (= mind) 脑(腦)海 (nǎohǎi)
(u) (= mentality)[of group, society etc]意识(識) (yìshí)
to lose consciousness失去知觉(覺) (shīqù zhījué)
to regain consciousness恢复(復)知觉(覺) (huīfù zhījué)
1 (noun)
His political consciousness sprang from his upbringing.
Synonyms
awareness
understanding
They have to have a basic understanding of computers.
knowledge
taken without my knowledge or consent
recognition
They welcomed his recognition of the recession.
enlightenment
We set off for the East in search of spiritual enlightenment.
sensibility
realization
There is a growing realization that things cannot go on like this for much longer.
apprehension
the sudden apprehension of something
2 (noun)
She banged her head and lost consciousness.
Synonyms
sentience
awareness
sensibility
Everything he writes demonstrates the depths of his sensibility.
Quotation
Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known [Roger Penrose – The Emperor's New Mind]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of apprehension
Definition
understanding
the sudden apprehension of something
Synonyms
awareness,
understanding,
knowledge,
intelligence,
ken,
perception,
grasp,
comprehension
in the sense of enlightenment
Definition
the act of enlightening or the state of being enlightened
We set off for the East in search of spiritual enlightenment.