unconscious
unconscious Lexical Profile
unconscious Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
In a state of lacking normal sensory awareness and responsiveness to one's surroundings, as from a head injury, fainting, or anesthesia; not awake.
"The cyclist was found unconscious on the pavement after the collision, so bystanders immediately called for an ambulance."
Done or existing without one's realization, deliberate intention, or conscious awareness.
"She had an unconscious habit of tapping her pencil against the desk whenever she was deep in thought."
Unaware of or oblivious to something (usually followed by 'of').
"The young children played happily in the garden, completely unconscious of the approaching thunderstorm."
• noun
In psychoanalytic theory, the part of the mind that is inaccessible to the conscious mind but that affects behavior, emotions, and dreams (usually preceded by 'the').
"Sigmund Freud argued that repressed memories stored in the unconscious continue to influence our everyday behavior."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'unconscious' with 'subconscious': in psychology, 'unconscious' refers to deep mental processes inaccessible to ordinary awareness (or the physical state of being knocked out), whereas 'subconscious' is a less technical term for thoughts just below the surface of awareness.
• Rhymes for unconscious
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the early 18th century, formed from the prefix 'un-' (not) and 'conscious', which derives from Latin 'conscius' (knowing with others or within oneself), from 'con-' (together) and 'scire' (to know).