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    conscious

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    conscious
    con‧scious S2 W3 /ˈkɒnʃəs $ ˈkɑːn-/ adjective
     Date: 1500-1600
     Language: Latin
     Origin: conscius, from com- ( ⇨ COM-) + scire 'to know'
    1.  AWARE  [not before noun] noticing or realizing something
       SYN  aware
        conscious of (doing) something
        I became conscious of someone watching me.
        I was very conscious of the fact that I had to make a good impression.
        conscious that
        She was conscious that Marie was listening to every word.
    2.  AWAKE awake and able to understand what is happening around you
       OPP  unconscious:
        The driver was still conscious when the ambulance arrived.
    3. conscious effort/decision/attempt etc an effort etc that is deliberate and intended:
        Vivien had made a conscious effort to be friendly.
    4.  CONCERNED thinking a lot about or concerned about something
        politically/environmentally/socially etc conscious
        environmentally conscious consumers
        health-conscious/fashion-conscious etc
        Many employers are becoming more safety-conscious.
        conscious of
        She was very conscious of security. ⇨ self-conscious
    5.  THOUGHTS conscious thoughts, memories etc are ones which you know about ⇨ subconscious:
        the conscious mind
        Without conscious thought, she instinctively placed a hand on his arm.
        It affects the audience at a deeper, less conscious level.
    —consciously adverb:
        She was probably not consciously aware of her true feelings.
         
    COLLOCATIONS
    (for Meaning 4)
    ■ adverbs
       ▪ socially/politically/environmentally etc conscious (=conscious of social/political etc issues) We have all become more environmentally conscious.
    ■ NOUN + conscious
       ▪ health conscious People are health conscious nowadays and careful about what they eat.
       ▪ fashion conscious Young girls are always very fashion conscious.
       ▪ security conscious Most airports are extremely security conscious.
       ▪ safety conscious Workers are encouraged to be safety conscious.
       ▪ cost conscious Companies keen to increase their profits have to be cost conscious.
       ▪ class conscious (=concerned about what class of society people come from) In the past, people were much more class conscious.