adjective
unconscious
Not awake or aware, or done without deliberate awareness.
The patient is unconscious but continues to breathe without assistance.
Etymology
The negative prefix denies awareness. It can describe complete loss of wakeful awareness or an action occurring without deliberate attention.
More examples
- The fall knocks him unconscious for a few seconds.
- She seems unconscious of the attention she attracts.
- Tapping his foot is an unconscious habit.
Forms
unconscious
unconsciously adverb — Without deliberately noticing or intending something.
unconsciousness noun — The state of not being awake or aware.
Similar words
- unresponsive
- Describes someone who does not react, even if awake.
- unaware
- Means not noticing something, without necessarily being asleep.
- involuntary
- Describes an action beyond conscious control, rather than merely unnoticed.