subconscious
subconscious Lexical Profile
subconscious Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Of or concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware, but which influences one's actions, feelings, and perceptions.
"Her fear of heights stemmed from a subconscious memory of falling from a tree as a young child."
• noun
The part of the mind that is not currently in focal awareness, yet stores memories, feelings, and motives that influence conscious thought and behavior.
"Artists often draw upon the subconscious to create surreal and evocative imagery."
Word Nuance & Usage
In everyday usage, 'subconscious' and 'unconscious' are often used interchangeably to describe mental processes outside active awareness; however, in Freudian psychoanalysis, 'unconscious' is the strictly preferred term for deeply repressed desires, while 'subconscious' is avoided as imprecise.
• Rhymes for subconscious
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 19th century (originally in German by philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and later popularized in French by psychologist Pierre Janet) from the Latin prefix 'sub-' (meaning 'under' or 'below') and 'conscious'.