unconscious

1 of 2

adjective

un·​con·​scious ˌən-ˈkän(t)-shəs How to pronounce unconscious (audio)
1
a
: having lost consciousness
was unconscious for three days
b(1)
: not marked by conscious thought, sensation, or feeling
unconscious motivation
(2)
: of or relating to the unconscious
c
: not possessing mind or consciousness
unconscious matter
2
a
: not knowing or perceiving : not aware
b
: free from self-awareness
3
: not consciously held or deliberately planned or carried out
an unconscious bias
unconsciously adverb
unconsciousness noun

unconscious

2 of 2

noun

: the part of mental life that does not ordinarily enter the individual's awareness yet may influence behavior and perception or be revealed (as in slips of the tongue or in dreams)

Examples of unconscious in a Sentence

Adjective He was knocked unconscious by a fall. She was unconscious for three days after the accident.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Interrupted by two other tourists, the man threw the unconscious woman down the gorge. Kate Brady, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 When it’s not engaged in any specific task, the brain enters into what’s known as the default network mode, or a period of passive rest, which is responsible for unconscious processing. Georgia Day, Glamour, 8 Mar. 2024 This three-pound lump of gray matter in our skulls processes our thoughts, memories, feelings, and unconscious physiology. Andrew Mawson, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Is that because of unconscious bias or just truly missing Janine and their hijinks? Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024 Kamp told paramedics the woman had been unconscious from drinking since 2 a.m., the complaint said. Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2024 Catch your own bias Gender bias can be unconscious and challenging to spot, even in ourselves. Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024 On Thursday at approximately 8 a.m., police and emergency services responded to the middle school where the student became unconscious and unresponsive. Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 29 Feb. 2024 While these requests or demands on women do not often come from a place of malice or ill-intention, the unconscious assumptions of how women contribute to the world perpetuate harmful stereotypes and reinforce traditional gender roles. Melissa A. Wheeler, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Noun
Suddenly your unconscious has a chance to free-associate and encode information that may not seem relevant until your mind starts tying it together. Jessica Dulong, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024 In Florida, a high school student beat a paraprofessional unconscious. F. Chris Curran, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2023 Emergency medical workers arrived at the six-story brick building around 2:45 p.m. to find a 1-year-old unconscious, along with a 2-year-old boy and an 8-month-old girl. Claire Fahy, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2023 The Freudian unconscious can be crude, a blunt instrument with which to make sense of everything from a bad day to irritation at a parent. Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023 But conjuring up the Freudian unconscious in conversations with my kids keeps him close. Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023 In addition to his clinical work, my father was a researcher; his primary mission was to prove, empirically, the existence of the Freudian unconscious. Gillian Silverman, The New Yorker, 15 July 2023 The treasure, of course, was the cause of neurotic symptoms, deeply buried in the unconscious. Elizabeth Winkler, The New Yorker, 23 June 2023 Officers responded to a central Florida home and found the 28-year-old unconscious in a bedroom, according to the Casselberry Police Department. Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 17 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unconscious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1712, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Noun

circa 1912, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unconscious was in 1712

Dictionary Entries Near unconscious

Cite this Entry

“Unconscious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unconscious. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

unconscious

1 of 2 adjective
un·​con·​scious ˌən-ˈkän-chəs How to pronounce unconscious (audio)
ˈən-
1
: not aware
unconscious of having made a mistake
2
: having lost consciousness
knocked unconscious by a fall
3
: not realized : not consciously done
an unconscious mistake
unconscious humor
unconsciously adverb
unconsciousness noun

unconscious

2 of 2 noun
: the part of one's mental life of which one is not aware but which may influence behavior

Medical Definition

unconscious

1 of 2 adjective
un·​con·​scious ˌən-ˈkän-chəs How to pronounce unconscious (audio)
1
: not marked by conscious thought, sensation, or feeling
unconscious motivation
2
: of or relating to the unconscious
3
: having lost consciousness
was unconscious for three days
unconsciously adverb
unconsciousness noun

unconscious

2 of 2 noun
: the part of mental life that is not ordinarily integrated or available to consciousness yet may be manifested as a motive force in overt behavior (as in neurosis) and is often revealed (as through dreams, slips of the tongue, or dissociated acts) compare subconscious

More from Merriam-Webster on unconscious

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