con·scious·ness  (k ŏn sh əs-n ĭs)
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n.1. The state or condition of being conscious. 2. A sense of one's personal or collective identity, including the attitudes, beliefs, and sensitivities held by or considered characteristic of an individual or group: Love of freedom runs deep in the national consciousness. 3. a. Special awareness or sensitivity: class consciousness; race consciousness. b. Alertness to or concern for a particular issue or situation: a movement aimed at raising the general public's consciousness of social injustice. 4. In psychoanalysis, the conscious. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
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