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

Examples 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 The revelations propelled the story forward while emphasizing the sinister truth of severance—when employees have no conscious memory of their workday, there’s no end to the ways in which their bosses can abuse them. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025 After selling cars to all the early adopters, companies are struggling to push their products on more price conscious, mass market shoppers. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 16 Jan. 2025 The person that’s suffering isn’t always even conscious or there. Esther Zuckerman, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025 As an immigrant teen trying to assimilate when his family moved to New York, Stan badly wanted to fit in, but was deeply conscious of his ‘otherness’. Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for conscious 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conscious
Adjective
  • Motivated people who are aware of their choice come to us.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
  • But slang can also be used to demean, bully, or belittle others, so parents should be aware of trendy lingo their kids are using in their day-to-day life.
    Kara Nesvig, Parents, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Expository voids start to feel less like deliberate puzzles and more like messy oversights.
    Judy Berman, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Kramer scripts and shoots their conversations with a deliberate stiffness, stylizing the sequences of female intrasexual competition to the point where you couldn’t possibly be deluded into believing the kind words that leave their mouths.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Evacuation warnings -- voluntary notices to leave -- begin to be issued in the Palisades Fire.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Catch up quick: The EU's Code of Practice on Disinformation, introduced in 2022, includes several voluntary commitments that tech firms and private companies, including fact-checking organizations, are expected to deliver on.
    Sara Fischer, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • These words transformed fear into hope, showcasing the power of intentional communication.
    Alain Hunkins, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
  • This intentional choice suggests that his usual aggressive handshake is a conscious tactic rather than an unconscious habit.
    Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Three snaps after Daniels’ touchdown throw to McLaurin, Goff overthrew his intended target, and Martin intercepted it and took it to the end zone, putting the Commanders ahead 24-14.
    Larry Lage, Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Fixed: Sometimes, free kick passes were not hit towards the intended receiver if the receiver was moving too quickly.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Read: The changing sound of male rage in rock music Underscoring his willed isolation is the fact that Fight Club intentionally seems to take place nowhere.
    Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near conscious

Cite this Entry

“Conscious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conscious. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on conscious

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