conscious

SayKON-shuhs/ˈkɑn.ʃəs/UK/ˈkɒn.ʃəs/

7 meanings of conscious

1
adjective
Awake and able to think, see, and react.
Like a light that is switched on, not off.
The patient was still conscious when the ambulance arrived.
She stayed conscious through the whole operation.
Similarawake, alert, aware
Oppositeunconscious, senseless
2
adjective
Noticing something and caring about it.
Like a guard who notices every small sound around them.
She is very conscious of how much water her family uses.
Teenagers are often conscious of what others think of them.
Similaraware, mindful, sensitive, cognizant, alert
Oppositeunaware, oblivious, heedless
Note
3
adjective
Done on purpose, with full awareness of what you are doing.
Like choosing each step on purpose, not tripping by accident.
She made a conscious choice to eat less sugar.
He made a conscious effort to arrive on time.
Similardeliberate, intentional, considered, calculated, purposeful
Oppositeunintentional, involuntary, accidental, unconscious
Note
4
adjective
Knowing that you exist and that you are thinking.
Like looking in a mirror and knowing the person there is you.
Many people wonder whether animals are conscious in the way humans are.
A self-aware being is conscious of its own thoughts.
Similaraware, sentient, self-aware
Oppositeunaware
Note
5
adjective
Felt deep inside a person, where no one else can see it.
Like a quiet feeling that lives inside you, where no one else can see it.
Deep inside, she felt a conscious joy she told no one about.
He had a conscious fear that he kept hidden from everyone.
Similarinward, private
6
noununcountable
The part of the mind that knows what is happening and is aware of itself.
Like the lit part of a stage, while the rest stays dark.
Freud divided the mind into the conscious and the unconscious.
Painful memories can move from the conscious into deeper layers of the mind.
Similarconsciousness
Oppositeunconscious, subconscious

Less common meaning

7
adjectiverare
Feeling guilty because you know you did something wrong.
Like a face that turns red and gives away a secret.
He gave a conscious smile, as if he knew he had done wrong.
They found Aunt Carrol with the old lady, both absorbed in some very interesting subject ; but they dropped it as the girls came in, with a conscious look which betrayed that they had been talking about their nieces.
1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, Little WomenHere, conscious means awkward and guilty, showing they knew they had been talking about the girls.
Similarguilty, shamefaced
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Latin conscius, meaning 'aware of guilt', built from con- ('together') and scire ('to know'). It first appeared in the late 16th century meaning 'aware of wrongdoing'.