Meaning & use
raise consciousness
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiom
To make people more aware of an issue, especially a social or political one.
Grammar: Takes an object: raise someone's consciousness. Often used as 'raise consciousness of/about something'.
Patterns
- raise consciousness of something
- raise consciousness about something
- raise someone's consciousness
The campaign aims to raise consciousness about climate change.
The book helped raise consciousness of women's rights.
They organized workshops to raise consciousness among young people.
phraseidiom
To become more aware of an issue, especially through personal experience or education.
Grammar: Used without an object when the subject is the one becoming aware.
Patterns
- consciousness is raised
- raise one's consciousness
Her consciousness was raised by the stories she heard.
He raised his consciousness by reading about social justice.
Common combinations
- raise public consciousness
- The documentary helped raise public consciousness about pollution.
- raise consciousness about an issue
- They work to raise consciousness about mental health.
- raise consciousness of a problem
- The protest raised consciousness of police violence.
- raise someone's consciousness
- The teacher tried to raise her students' consciousness.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- consciousness-raising noun
- The act of making people more aware of an issue.
Commonly confused: raise consciousness or raise awareness?
raise consciousness vs raise awareness
Very similar, but 'raise awareness' is more common and often used for general public education.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'raise consciousness' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct preposition is 'of' or 'about'. 'For', 'to', and 'with' do not fit the pattern 'raise consciousness of/about something'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “raise consciousness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.