Added 9 October 2026
conscious
/ˈkɑn.ʃəs/ adjective
In Latin: cōnsciēns, cōnscius Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about conscious at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
Alert, awake; with one's mental faculties active.
The noise woke me, but it was another few minutes before I was fully conscious.
-
Aware of one's own existence; aware of one's own awareness.
Only highly intelligent beings can be fully conscious.
-
Aware of, sensitive to; observing and noticing, or being strongly interested in or concerned about.
I was conscious of a noise behind me. a very class-conscious analysis
noun
- The part of the mind that is aware of itself; the consciousness.
Origin
First use appears c. 1573 in the sense of "aware of wrongdoing".https://web.archive.org/web/20220714064352/https://www.lexico.com/definition/conscious From Latin cōnscius (“conscious, conscious of guilt”), itself from con- (a form of com- (“together”)) + scīre (“to know”) + -us.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)