subconscious

1 of 2

adjective

sub·​con·​scious ˌsəb-ˈkän(t)-shəs 

ˈsəb-

: existing in the mind but not immediately available to consciousness

a subconscious motive

subconsciousness noun

subconscious

2 of 2

noun

: the mental activities just below the threshold of consciousness

Examples of subconscious in a Sentence

Noun

A person's behavior can be influenced by urges that exist only in the subconscious.

Those feelings had been hidden in her subconscious.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Meanwhile, Jupiter in Gemini illuminates your 12th house of secrets, amplifying your subconscious mind and creative imagination. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024

Inspired by The Sopranos episode in which Tony gets food poisoning and has a series of fever dreams about betrayal, here Marge gets food poisoning and gets lost in her subconscious fears about Bart growing up. —Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024

Noun

My subconscious has clearly been feeling the stress of a second Trump presidency and the potential increase in executions and other excessive punishments that will likely come. —Elizabeth Vartkessian, Baltimore Sun, 16 Dec. 2024

His themes are profound and his exploration of them sincere in films that are imbued with strange and haunting images that rattle around in your subconscious for far too long. —Lindsey Bahr, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1834, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1878, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

subconscious

1 of 2 adjective

sub·​con·​scious ˌsəb-ˈkän-chəs 

ˈsəb-

: existing in the mind but not immediately available to consciousness

a subconscious motive

subconsciously adverb

subconscious

2 of 2 noun

: the mental activities just below the limit of consciousness

Medical Definition

subconscious

1 of 2 adjective

sub·​con·​scious ˌsəb-ˈkän-chəs, ˈsəb- 

1

: existing in the mind but not immediately available to consciousness : affecting thought, feeling, and behavior without entering awareness

subconscious motives

a subconscious reflex

2

: imperfectly conscious : partially but not fully aware

the persistence of subconscious dream activity for several minutes after waking

—Psychological Abstracts

subconsciously adverb

subconsciousness noun

subconscious

2 of 2 noun

: the mental activities just below the threshold of consciousness

also : the aspect of the mind concerned with such activities compare unconscious