Meaning & use
subconscious
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Happening in the mind without you being fully aware of it.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a subconscious fear; the choice was subconscious.
Patterns
- a subconscious desire
- subconscious fears
She had a subconscious fear of dogs from childhood.
His choice of the blue car was largely subconscious.
The ad plays on subconscious desires.
nounsingular
The part of the mind containing thoughts and feelings that affect behavior although you are not directly aware of them.
Grammar: Usually the subconscious: buried in the subconscious.
Patterns
- in the subconscious
- buried deep in the subconscious
The memory was buried deep in her subconscious.
Dreams may reveal what lies in the subconscious.
He tried to tap into his subconscious for creative ideas.
Common combinations
- subconscious mind
- The subconscious mind keeps working while we sleep.
- subconscious fear
- A subconscious fear kept him from applying.
- subconscious level
- On a subconscious level, she knew he was lying.
- deep in the subconscious
- The memory sat deep in the subconscious.
- subconscious bias
- Training helps people recognize subconscious bias.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unconscious
- Unconscious can also mean knocked out, while subconscious only means beneath awareness.
- unaware
- Unaware describes a person lacking knowledge, but subconscious describes the mental process itself.
- instinctive
- Instinctive stresses natural, inborn reaction, whereas subconscious stresses hidden mental activity.
- implicit
- Implicit means not stated openly, and is more formal than subconscious in research on attitudes.
Opposites
Word family
- subconsciously adverb
- in a way you are not aware of
- conscious adjective
- aware and awake
- consciousness noun
- the state of being aware
- unconscious adjective
- not awake or not aware
Commonly confused: subconscious or unconscious?
subconscious vs unconscious
Unconscious as an adjective can mean knocked out and not responding, but subconscious refers to mental activity just below awareness.
Practice
She had no idea why she disliked him; it was a ___ reaction that she could not explain.
Choose one answer.
A subconscious reaction happens beneath awareness, which matches not being able to explain it. The other options look similar but do not describe a mental reaction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “subconscious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.