Meaning & use
a conscious decision
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Meaning
phrasecountable
a choice that you make deliberately, knowing what you are doing and intending the result
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase with 'a'; the opposite idea is doing something by accident or without thinking.
Patterns
- make a conscious decision to do something
- a conscious decision about something
- it was a conscious decision to do something
Leaving her job was a conscious decision to spend more time with her family.
He made a conscious decision not to reply to the email straight away.
Choosing this school was a conscious decision based on its science program.
Common combinations
- make a conscious decision
- She made a conscious decision to learn Spanish before her trip.
- a conscious decision to do something
- It was a conscious decision to keep the design simple.
- a conscious decision about something
- They made a conscious decision about where to live.
- a conscious decision not to do something
- He made a conscious decision not to argue with his boss.
Synonyms and how they differ
- deliberate choice
- This is very close in meaning, but 'deliberate' often emphasizes slow, careful thought, while 'conscious' just emphasizes that you were aware and intended it.
- intentional act
- This focuses on the action rather than the decision, and is more formal; it is used when you want to say that something was not an accident.
Opposites
Word family
- consciously adverb
- in a way that shows you are aware and intend to do something
- consciousness noun
- the state of being awake and aware of what is happening
- decision noun
- a choice that you make after thinking
Commonly confused: a conscious decision or conscious? a conscious decision or conscience?
a conscious decision vs conscious
As an adjective, 'conscious' can mean awake or aware, as in 'The patient was conscious.' In this phrase it means deliberate or intended.
a conscious decision vs conscience
This is a noun meaning the feeling inside you that tells you if something is right or wrong. It sounds similar but is not related to making a decision.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'a conscious decision' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is followed by 'to' + base verb when you say what was decided. Option 2 uses 'for' instead of 'to', option 3 leaves out 'to', and option 4 uses 'of' with an -ing form, which is not the usual pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a conscious decision”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.