Word
consciousness
Meanings
the state of being awake and aware of what is happening around you
a person’s thoughts and feelings as a continuous inner experience
an awareness of something, especially an attitude of concern about a particular issue
Definition
Consciousness is the state of being awake and aware of yourself and your surroundings.
Consciousness refers to awareness and the experience of being awake, noticing sensations, thoughts, and what is happening around you. It can also mean a person’s inner mind, including thoughts and feelings. In academic contexts, it often describes the general phenomenon of subjective experience.
Examples
- After the long flight, I felt my consciousness sharpen as soon as I stepped into the cold morning air.
- You can track how your consciousness shifts during meditation without trying to force any particular outcome.
- He wrote a novel that follows consciousness in real time, moving from perception to memory in a single paragraph.
- Her consciousness of how her words might land made her choose a calmer tone in the meeting.
- They debated whether consciousness can be explained fully by brain processes or whether something is still missing.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse consciousness (the state of awareness) with conscience (a moral sense of right and wrong).
More at C1 level
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