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Definition of 'unconscious'

Word Frequency

unconscious

(ʌnkɒnʃəs )
1. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE, ADJECTIVE noun, ADJECTIVE after verb]
Someone who is unconscious is in a state similar to sleep, usually as the result of a serious injury or a lack of oxygen.
By the time ambulancemen arrived he was unconscious.
Synonyms: senseless, knocked out, out cold [informal], out   More Synonyms of unconscious
unconsciousness uncountable noun
He knew that he might soon lapse into unconsciousness.
Synonyms: insensibility, oblivion, blackout, coma   More Synonyms of unconscious
2. adjective
If you are unconscious of something, you are unaware of it.
He himself seemed totally unconscious of his failure. [+ of]
Mr Battersby was apparently quite unconscious of their presence.
Synonyms: unaware, ignorant, oblivious, unsuspecting   More Synonyms of unconscious
unconsciously adverb [usually ADVERB with verb, oft ADVERB adjective]
He watched the game very intently and often unconsciously swung his right leg.
3. adjective
If feelings or attitudes are unconscious, you are not aware that you have them, but they show in the way that you behave.
Unconscious envy manifests itself very often as this kind of arrogance.
'You're well out of it,' Christopher said with unconscious brutality.
Synonyms: unintentional, unwitting, unintended, inadvertent   More Synonyms of unconscious
unconsciously adverb [ADVERB with verb, ADVERB adjective]
She may be trying unconsciously to draw attention to herself.
I think racism is unconsciously inherent in practically everyone.
4. singular noun
Your unconscious is the part of your mind that contains feelings and ideas that you do not know about or cannot control.
In examining the content of the unconscious, Freud called into question some deeply-held beliefs.
More Synonyms of unconscious
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Video: pronunciation of 'unconscious'

Word Frequency

unconscious in British

(ʌnˈkɒnʃəs )
adjective
1. 
lacking normal sensory awareness of the environment; insensible
2. 
not aware of one's actions, behaviour, etc
unconscious of his bad manners
3. 
characterized by lack of awareness or intention
an unconscious blunder
4. 
coming from or produced by the unconscious
unconscious resentment
noun
5. psychoanalysis
the part of the mind containing instincts, impulses, images, and ideas that are not available for direct examination
See also collective unconscious, Compare subconscious, preconscious
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
unconsciously (unˈconsciously)
adverb
Word Frequency

unconscious in American

(ʌnˈkɑnʃəs ; unkänˈshəs)
adjective
1. 
a. 
not endowed with consciousness; mindless
b. 
temporarily deprived of consciousness
unconscious from a blow on the head
2. 
not aware (of)
unconscious of his mistake
3. 
not known, realized, or intended; not done, said, etc. on purpose
an unconscious habit, unconscious humor
4. 
not aware of one's own existence; not conscious of self
5. 
having to do with those of one's mental processes that one is unable to bring into one's consciousness
Idioms:
the unconscious
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
unconsciously (unˈconsciously)
adverb
unconsciousness (unˈconsciousness)
noun

Example sentences containing 'unconscious'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
Other explanations could include conscious or unconscious discrimination or more subtle employment processes that led to cultural matching in the workplace. Times, Sunday Times (2017)We will go on learning about ourselves and about our conscious and unconscious minds. Times, Sunday Times (2006)This is a language of the collective unconscious. Siegel, Bernie S. (MD) Love, Medicine and Miracles (1990)The unconscious mind is your larger mind. Times, Sunday Times (2007)The dramatic chase leaves one person unconscious. The Sun (2011)We all have implicit or unconscious biases that impact our behavior. Christianity Today (2000)He was unconscious by the time he was hauled back. The Sun (2011)The resulting pamphlet is quite unconscious of its own courage. Diane Purkiss The English Civil War: A People's History (2006)Recent work has confirmed this unconscious awareness. Siegel, Bernie S. (MD) Love, Medicine and Miracles (1990)Police who spotted their torch found one unconscious. The Sun (2007)School leaders also have a responsibility to tackle unconscious bias where it creeps in. Times, Sunday Times (2014)He was unconscious by the time he reached the surface and was declared dead by paramedics. The Sun (2013)They chatted for ten minutes before he is next seen picking up her limp and apparently unconscious body. The Sun (2015)Your unconscious mind will come up with new ways of looking at things and answers to your problems. Times, Sunday Times (2007)If we set our intention, often our unconscious mind will follow. Times, Sunday Times (2008)You shouldn't mess with the collective unconscious of the nation like that. Times, Sunday Times (2011)It is often unconscious but no less damaging for that,' he said. Times, Sunday Times (2008)One of the crew said: 'She was missing overnight and was unconscious for quite a while. The Sun (2010)Half paralysed and often unconscious, she was returned to Mombasa and put on a ship for home. Cameron, Kenneth M Into Africa - a social history of the East African Safari (1989)Politicians and commentators have an unconscious need to persuade themselves - and a conscious need to persuade their audience - that this crash was avoidable. Times, Sunday Times (2011)

Quotations

The images of the unconscious place a great responsibility upon a man. Failure to understand them, or a shirking of ethical responsibility, deprives him of his wholeness and imposes a painful fragmentariness on his lifeCarl Jung Memories, Dreams, Reflections

Word Lists

Psychology terms

Trends of 'unconscious'

Very Common. unconscious is one of the 4000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

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Translations for 'unconscious'

British English: unconscious /ʌnˈkɒnʃəs/ ADJECTIVE
Someone who is unconscious is in a state similar to sleep, as a result of a shock, accident, or injury.
By the time ambulancemen arrived, he was unconscious.
  • American English: unconscious
  • Arabic: غَيْرُ وَاعٍ
  • Brazilian Portuguese: inconsciente
  • Chinese: 不省人事的
  • Croatian: bez svijesti
  • Czech: v bezvědomí
  • Danish: ubevidst
  • Dutch: buiten bewustzijn
  • European Spanish: inconsciente
  • Finnish: tiedoton
  • French: inconscient
  • German: bewusstlos
  • Greek: λιπόθυμος
  • Italian: privo di sensi
  • Japanese: 意識を失った
  • Korean: 무의식의
  • Norwegian: bevisstløs
  • Polish: nieświadomy
  • European Portuguese: inconsciente
  • Romanian: inconștient
  • Russian: бессознательный
  • Spanish: inconsciente
  • Swedish: omedveten
  • Thai: ไม่รู้สึกตัว
  • Turkish: bilinçsiz
  • Ukrainian: непритомний
  • Vietnamese: bất tỉnh

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Nearby words of 'unconscious'

  • unconquered
  • unconscientious
  • unconscionable
  • unconscious
  • unconsciousness
  • unconsecrate
  • unconsecrated

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'U'

Related Terms of 'unconscious'

  • the unconscious
  • racial unconscious
  • collective unconscious

Source

Definition of unconscious from the Collins English Dictionary

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Scrabble score for 'unconscious': 15
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