consciousness
KON-shuhs-nis
/ˈkɒn.ʃəs.nəs/
The state or quality of being aware of one's surroundings, thoughts, and existence.
Refers broadly to subjective experience, internal awareness, and responsiveness.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'com-' (together) and 'scire' (to know). Literally means knowing something together with oneself.
Word relationships
- awareness: Awareness can be mere sensory detection, whereas consciousness implies rich internal experience.
- unconsciousness: Lack of state of awareness or responsiveness.
Commonly confused with
- conscience: Conscience deals with moral right and wrong, while consciousness deals with mental awareness.
Word family
- conscious (adjective): Aware and responding to surroundings.
Collocations
- altered state of consciousness
- stream of consciousness
- loss of consciousness
Idioms & expressions
- raise consciousness
Example sentences
- "The hard problem of consciousness asks why subjective experience accompanies physical brain processes." Philosophy of mind
Memory hook
CON (together) + SCIENCE (knowledge): knowing all internal feelings together. To know within oneself.
When not to use
Avoid confusing with conscience, which is a moral compass.
Fun facts
- The term 'stream of consciousness' was coined by psychologist William James in 1890.
Explore more words
subconscious, attentiveness, mindfulness, introspective, phenomenology, subjectivity
Also appears in
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