consciousness
/ˈkɒnʃəsnəs/ · con·scious·ness
noun
- The state of being conscious or aware; awareness. After the accident, his consciousness slowly returned.
- The quality or condition of having subjective experience, especially as studied in philosophy and neuroscience. The nature of consciousness remains one of the most puzzling questions in science.
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Antonyms
Did you know? The word traces back to Latin conscientia, which originally meant ‘knowledge shared with oneself’, and was adopted by early philosophers to discuss the inner life of the mind.