Meaning & use
waking consciousness
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountabletechnical
The ordinary state of being awake and aware of yourself and your surroundings, as opposed to sleeping or dreaming.
Grammar: Usually no article: in waking consciousness, not in a waking consciousness.
Patterns
- in waking consciousness
- return to waking consciousness
The dream faded as he slipped back into waking consciousness.
Researchers compare brain activity in waking consciousness and in deep sleep.
In waking consciousness, she could not recall the dream at all.
Common combinations
- in waking consciousness
- In waking consciousness, the fear seemed silly.
- return to waking consciousness
- He returned to waking consciousness slowly after the surgery.
- ordinary waking consciousness
- Meditation can differ from ordinary waking consciousness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wakefulness
- Stresses simply not being asleep, with less focus on awareness.
- alertness
- Stresses being attentive, not just awake.
Opposites
Word family
- conscious adjective
- awake and aware
- consciousness noun
- the state of being aware
Commonly confused: waking consciousness or conscience?
waking consciousness vs conscience
Conscience is your sense of right and wrong. Consciousness is awareness.
Practice
A psychologist says dreams feel real but fade once we return to ___.
Choose one answer.
Waking consciousness is the standard term for the awake, aware state. Conscience refers to moral sense, and the other forms are not used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “waking consciousness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.