consciousness

noun

SayKON-shuhs-nuhs/ˈkɑnʃəsnəs/UK/ˈkɒnʃəsnəs/

Pluralconsciousnesses

4 meanings of consciousness

1
nouncountable or uncountable
The state of being awake and able to notice, think, and feel.
Like a light switching on in your mind: you wake up and start noticing the world.
After the accident, she slowly returned to consciousness.
The drug can make you lose consciousness for a few minutes.
Similarawareness, sentience
Oppositeunconsciousness
Note
2
nouncountable or uncountable
The state of knowing about a certain fact or situation.
Like having something in the back of your mind that you know is true.
She had a clear consciousness of the danger ahead.
His consciousness of being late made him hurry.
Similarawareness, knowledge, realization, recognition, understanding
Oppositeignorance, unawareness
Note
3
nouncountable or uncountable
A strong shared awareness of an issue that a group sees as important to them all.
Like a whole team realizing together that one problem affects every player.
The strike showed a strong consciousness among the workers.
Schools try to build environmental consciousness in young people.
Similarawareness
Note
4
nouncountable
A thinking being that can sense and be aware.
Like a single mind that can think and feel, whether in a person, an animal, or a machine.
The story imagines a consciousness living inside a computer.
Could a machine ever become a true consciousness?
Similarmind, being, entity
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of consciousness apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From the word 'conscious' plus '-ness'.