consciousness

UK: /ˈkɒnʃəsnəs/ US: /ˈkɑnʃəsnəs/ ,(kon′shəs nis)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

con•sci•ous•ness /ˈkɑnʃəsnəs/   n. 

1. [uncountable] the state of being awake:
   I lost consciousness immediately.
2. the conscious mind;
   one's conscious thoughts:
   [countable* usually singular] a consciousness that something wasn't right.
3. the ideas, beliefs, or opinions held by a group of people:
   [uncountable] class consciousness.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

con•scious•ness  (kon′shəs nis), n. 

1. the state of being conscious;
   awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
2. the thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual or of an aggregate of people:
   the moral consciousness of a nation.
3. full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life:
   to regain consciousness after fainting.
4. awareness of something for what it is;
   internal knowledge:
   consciousness of wrongdoing.
5. concern, interest, or acute awareness:
   class consciousness.
6. Psychology the mental activity of which a person is aware as contrasted with unconscious mental processes.
7. Philosophy the mind or the mental faculties as characterized by thought, feelings, and volition.
8. Idioms raise one's consciousness, to increase one's awareness and understanding of one's own needs, behavior, attitudes, etc., esp. as a member of a particular social or political group.

• conscious + -ness 1625–35