consciousness
gb/kˈɑnʃəsnəs/ us/kˈɑnʃəsnəs/
B1
English
~ 3000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
state
1
Awareness and ability to think
The state of being awake, aware, and able to think clearly.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s consciousness
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'consciousness' with 'conscience', which means a sense of right and wrong.
Synonyms
awareness (Often used more broadly for noticing or knowing about something, not necessarily involving deep thought.)
|
wakefulness (Focuses on being awake rather than the full range of awareness and thought.)
Antonyms
unconsciousness (The state of not being awake or aware.)
Collocations
lose consciousness
|regain consciousness
|drift in and out of consciousness
|remain conscious
Themes
psychology
|health
|philosophy
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She regained consciousness after fainting.
- The blow to his head caused him to lose consciousness.
- He drifted in and out of consciousness during the long night.
Learner examples
- She lost consciousness after the accident.
- He woke up and regained consciousness.
- The patient is now in full consciousness.
Noun
B2
state
2
Specific awareness or understanding
Knowing or thinking about something in particular.
Usage pattern:
consciousness of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this meaning with the medical sense of being awake; here it refers to mental awareness about a topic.
Synonyms
mindfulness (Often implies deliberate attention to the present moment, sometimes in a meditative sense.)
|
awareness (A more general term for knowing about something, without implying depth or reflection.)
Antonyms
ignorance (Lack of knowledge or awareness about something.)
Collocations
political consciousness
|environmental consciousness
|social consciousness
Themes
psychology
|social issues
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Examples
- Her environmental consciousness grew after she learned about climate change.
- The campaign aims to raise public consciousness of healthy eating.
- Political consciousness often develops during adolescence.
Learner examples
- We need more environmental consciousness.
- He has no consciousness of the danger.
- The teacher wants to grow our social consciousness.
Noun
technical
C1
entity
3
Shared awareness in a group
The way many people in a group think and feel about something.
Synonyms
collective awareness (Neutral term for shared knowledge or perception among a group.)
Antonyms
individualism (Focus on personal independence rather than shared group identity.)
Collocations
collective consciousness
|group consciousness
Themes
sociology
|philosophy
|relationships
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The collective consciousness shifted after the major political event.
- Artists often reflect the national consciousness in their work.
- Social media has changed the nature of our collective consciousness.
Learner examples
- The war changed the national consciousness.
- We share a group consciousness at work.
- Collective consciousness can be strong in small towns.
Grammar
Dictionary form
consciousness
IPA
GB/kˈɑnʃəsnəs/
US/kˈɑnʃəsnəs/
Syllables & stress
con - scious - ness (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (con)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: consciousness
- Plural: consciousness, consciousnesses
Word family
Forms
consciousnesses
noun
Core family
conscious
adjective B1
consciously
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
Related words
Advanced or less common
subconscious
adjective C1
subconsciously
adverb
Expressions
drift in and out of consciousness
1/dɹˈɪft ˈɪn ˈænd ˈaʊt əv kˈɑnʃəsnəs/
fixed phrase
Alternate between awake and unconscious states
To be conscious for short times and then unconscious again, repeatedly.
Examples
- He drifted in and out of consciousness after the accident.
- She was drifting in and out of consciousness when they found her.
lose consciousness
1/lˈuz kˈɑnʃəsnəs/
fixed phrase
faint or pass out
To suddenly stop being awake and aware, often because of illness or injury.
Examples
- He lost consciousness after hitting his head.
- He lost consciousness after hitting his head on the pavement.
- She lost consciousness during the long run.
- She lost consciousness from dehydration during the marathon.
regain consciousness
1/ɹɪɡˈeɪn kˈɑnʃəsnəs/
fixed phrase
Become conscious again
To wake up and become aware again after you were unconscious or fainted.
Examples
- The patient regained consciousness in the ambulance.
- The patient regained consciousness after several hours.
- The patient regained consciousness two hours after the operation.
- He regained consciousness after a few minutes.
- He slowly regained consciousness following surgery.
- He fell from the ladder and did not regain consciousness until he was in the ambulance.
- She slowly regained consciousness as the effects of the drug wore off.