adjective
semiconscious
sem-ee-KAHN-shus/ˌsɛmiˈkɑnʃəs/
Partly aware but not fully alert.
The semiconscious patient opens her eyes when the nurse speaks.
Etymology
Conscious developed from 'knowing' into inward awareness and then being awake with active mental faculties. Here 'partly' makes that awareness incomplete, rather than describing full wakefulness.
In context
When I was summoned to see Mr. Morowitch I found him in a semiconscious state and scarcely breathing.
More examples
- After the accident, he was semiconscious and barely able to answer questions.
- Still semiconscious from the anesthesia, she mumbled a few words.
- I hear the alarm in a semiconscious haze before fully waking.
Forms
semiconscious
semiconsciousness noun — The state of being only partly aware.
Similar words
- drowsy
- Sleepy, but not necessarily experiencing only partial awareness.
- groggy
- Dazed or unsteady without necessarily being only partly conscious.