consciousness
noun
con·scious·ness
ˈkän(t)-shəs-nəs 
1
a
: the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself
b
: the state or fact of being conscious of an external object, state, or fact
c
: awareness
especially
: concern for some social or political cause
The organization aims to raise the political consciousness of teenagers.
2
: the state of being characterized by sensation, emotion, volition, and thought : mind
3
: the totality of conscious states of an individual
4
: the normal state of conscious life
regained consciousness
5
: the upper level of mental life of which the person is aware as contrasted with unconscious processes
Synonyms
Examples of consciousness in a Sentence
The medication caused her to enter an altered state of consciousness.
The events have become part of the national consciousness.
He hopes that he can raise public consciousness of the disease.
Recent Examples on the Web
The psychological strain wrought by Covid-19, along with a series of high-profile police shootings of people in mental health crisis, have pushed mental illness from the shadows into the spotlight of national consciousness.
—
Grace Rubenstein, STAT, 26 Apr. 2024
Their gorgeous, otherworldly singing — accompanied by an orchestra elevated elsewhere on Adam Rigg’s urban scaffolding set — gives the music a celestial breadth that extends beyond a single singer-songwriter consciousness.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
Signs of a heatstroke include body temperature that is 106°F or higher, hot or red skin, a fast or strong pulse, headache, dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness, and confusion.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024
Neptune Dark Spot Cody Cottier is a contributing writer at Discover who loves exploring big questions about the universe and our home planet, the nature of consciousness, the ethical implications of science and more.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
Until the league catches up, there will be a disconnect between the stature of these record-breaking players in the national consciousness and their earning potential on the court.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
The group is credited with introducing drone — a defining element of Indian classical music — to the American musical consciousness.
—Walker Mimms, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
As breaking news banners and push alerts crashed onto screens from coast to coast, stunning millions with news of the former National Football League star’s death, the moment produced one last Simpson-centric collective event for the national consciousness.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The image of Simpson in a white Ford Bronco fleeing an army of police cruisers in Los Angeles became part of the national consciousness.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2024
Grace Rubenstein, STAT, 26 Apr. 2024
Their gorgeous, otherworldly singing — accompanied by an orchestra elevated elsewhere on Adam Rigg’s urban scaffolding set — gives the music a celestial breadth that extends beyond a single singer-songwriter consciousness.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
Signs of a heatstroke include body temperature that is 106°F or higher, hot or red skin, a fast or strong pulse, headache, dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness, and confusion.
—Chad De Guzman, TIME, 24 Apr. 2024
Neptune Dark Spot Cody Cottier is a contributing writer at Discover who loves exploring big questions about the universe and our home planet, the nature of consciousness, the ethical implications of science and more.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024
Until the league catches up, there will be a disconnect between the stature of these record-breaking players in the national consciousness and their earning potential on the court.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
The group is credited with introducing drone — a defining element of Indian classical music — to the American musical consciousness.
—Walker Mimms, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
As breaking news banners and push alerts crashed onto screens from coast to coast, stunning millions with news of the former National Football League star’s death, the moment produced one last Simpson-centric collective event for the national consciousness.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
The image of Simpson in a white Ford Bronco fleeing an army of police cruisers in Los Angeles became part of the national consciousness.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consciousness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to consciousness
Dictionary Entries Near consciousness
Cite this Entry
“Consciousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consciousness. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
consciousness
noun
con·scious·ness
ˈkän-chəs-nəs
1
: the condition of being conscious
2
: the normal state of conscious life in contrast to sleep or an insensible state
3
: the part of mental life that involves conscious thought and awareness
Medical Definition
consciousness
noun
con·scious·ness
ˈkän-chə-snəs
1
: the totality in psychology of sensations, perceptions, ideas, attitudes, and feelings of which an individual or a group is aware at any given time or within a given time span
altered states of consciousness, such as sleep, dreaming and hypnosis—Bob Gaines
Bob Gaines2
: waking life (as that to which one returns after sleep, trance, or fever) in which one's normal mental powers are present
the ether wore off and the patient regained consciousness
3
: the upper part of mental life of which the person is aware as contrasted with unconscious processes
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