Word family noun subconscious unconscious consciousness unconsciousness adjective conscious ≠ unconscious subconscious adverb subconsciously consciously ≠ unconsciously
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishunconsciousun‧con‧scious1 /ʌnˈkɒnʃəs $ -ˈkɑːn-/ ●●○ adjective 1 UNCONSCIOUSunable to see, move, feel etc in the normal way because you are not conscious She was found alive but unconscious.knock/beat somebody unconscious Levin was knocked unconscious by the impact.2 REALIZEMINDa feeling or thought that is unconscious is one that you have without realizing it → subconsciousunconscious feeling/desire/need etc an unconscious need to be loved3 → be unconscious of something4 DELIBERATELYan action that is unconscious is not deliberate —unconsciously adverb —unconsciousness noun [uncountable]Examples from the Corpus
unconscious• They called an ambulance when Clare became unconscious and her lips turned blue, but by then it was too late.• unconscious desires• Many women are the victims of unconscious discrimination by men.• Any purpose there is will not be found within the physical structure of unconscious entities.• Billy was unconscious for two days after the accident.• His comments were an unconscious insult to Irish people.• The unconscious man was carefully lifted onto a stretcher.• the unconscious mind• The subordinate and superior then align with each other in mutual satisfaction of their unconscious needs.• There was a woman lying unconscious on the floor.• With an unconscious sigh of her own, she touched her fingers to her cheek, just as he had done.knock/beat somebody unconscious• She fell off the bike and was knocked unconscious.unconscious feeling/desire/need etc• The subordinate and superior then align with each other in mutual satisfaction of their unconscious needs.• For example, extreme or bizarre reactions to bereavement may have their roots in unconscious feelings belonging to earlier experiences of loss.• Here we have a repetition of the childhood in which the parent's weakness contributed to the unconscious need for punishment.• But although unconscious feelings have traditionally been associated with severe emotional disorder, they are not the prerogative of the acutely disturbed.• In practice, of course, it would be extremely hard to establish any such unconscious desires in the complainant.• Another contributing aspect of enjoying school in my opinion is an unconscious desire to learn.• In Western society, adults may play with money as an acceptable substitute for the unconscious desire to play with faeces.unconsciousunconscious2 noun → the/somebody’s unconsciousExamples from the Corpus
unconscious• A heavy concentration of the drug may produce dizziness or even unconsciousness.• She managed to crawl into a shed, and then lapsed into unconsciousness.• Where patients were brought in unconscious, and therefore unable to disclose their faith, a simple method was followed.• The anniversary had remained trapped in the unconscious, never reflected on.• This eclectic philosophical mixture underlies his account of the unconscious.• And most recently, Freud eliminated the discontinuity between the rational world of the ego and the irrational world of the unconscious.• More extreme retreats to the unconscious are the stuff of art-historical legend.• Assault charge: A man who is alleged to have knocked a police woman unconscious was bailed by Darlington magistrates yesterday. 