Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective conscious contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of conscious are alive, awake, aware, cognizant, and sensible. While all these words mean "having knowledge of something," conscious implies that one is focusing one's attention on something or is even preoccupied by it.

conscious that my heart was pounding

How are the words alive and sensible related as synonyms of conscious?

Alive adds to sensible the implication of acute sensitivity to something.

alive to the thrill of danger

In what contexts can awake take the place of conscious?

While in some cases nearly identical to conscious, awake implies that one has become alive to something and is on the alert.

a country always awake to the threat of invasion

When might aware be a better fit than conscious?

In some situations, the words aware and conscious are roughly equivalent. However, aware implies vigilance in observing or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences.

aware of changes in climate

When can cognizant be used instead of conscious?

The synonyms cognizant and conscious are sometimes interchangeable, but cognizant implies having special or certain knowledge as from firsthand sources.

not fully cognizant of the facts

When is sensible a more appropriate choice than conscious?

The words sensible and conscious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sensible implies direct or intuitive perceiving especially of intangibles or of emotional states or qualities.

sensible of a teacher's influence

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conscious There was a conscious decision to put the orchestra back on the Oscars, front and center this year, above the stage. Michael Schneider, Variety, 3 Mar. 2025 The collection was intended to promote more conscious consumption, delivering timeless garments 100 percent manufactured in Italy. WWD, 3 Mar. 2025 Francis, 88, remained conscious, Vatican officials said. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2025 The Vatican said Sunday that Francis was conscious and still receiving supplemental oxygen. Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conscious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conscious
Adjective
  • Gong and his family members are aware of the filmmakers, even mention the filming, yet remain largely unselfconscious in front of the cameras.
    Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Our brains are aware of inconsistencies in the imagery at a detailed level, even if the exact nature of these inconsistencies eludes our conscious perception.
    Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This deliberate approach matters because many organizations struggle with performative values.
    Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • There are also deliberate cuts that have been vowed at Columbia and UPenn, two universities that get federal funding and do health research.
    CBS News, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • While there has even been some talk of a military invasion, there are other ways America could gain control of the Arctic territory, such as free association, which is the ability to maintain self-government along with a voluntary and mutual partnership with a sovereign state.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
  • The voluntary program allows people who have two years or less of their sentence remaining to serve the rest of their time in a center that offers help with reentering the community.
    Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • To be truly intentional in your healing process, focus on understanding, not winning or being right.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Bean also faces a charge of injury to a child with intentional bodily injury.
    Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • In this process, admissions officers consider the overall class profile, including incoming students’ interests, backgrounds, institutional connections, and intended majors, and admit a balanced class of diverse students.
    Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
  • City leaders said her store is not an intended target of the ordinance.
    Jesse Wright, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The entire texture of that life, its willed imposture.
    Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Even more than his strong, octave-surfing Ontario accent, his willed congeniality—a mix of natural reserve and a morbid aversion to pretense—spoke to something in my bones.
    Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 14 Dec. 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Conscious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conscious. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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