unconsciousness
/ʌnˈkɒnʃəsnəs/ (bre, ipa) · [ˌʌnkˈɑnʃəsnɪs] /ʌnˈkɑːnʃəsnəs/ (ame, ipa) · [ˌʌnkˈɑnʃəsnɪs] /ˌən-ˈkän(t)-shəs How to pronounce unconscious (audio)/ (ame, mw)
unconsciousness — 名詞
1. a sleeplike state caused by injury, illness, or drugs, in which a person cannot
昏迷；昏厥
因受傷或疾病失去知覺的狀態
a sleeplike state caused by injury, illness, or drugs, in which a person cannot see, hear, feel, or respond to what is happening around them
The cyclist was found lying on the road in a state of unconsciousness after the collision.
那名自行車騎士在車禍後被發現躺在路上，處於昏迷狀態。
prepositional phrase: in a state of unconsciousness
Patients who slip into unconsciousness after a head injury need immediate medical attention.
頭部受傷後陷入昏迷的病患需要立即的醫療照護。
verb collocation: slip into unconsciousness
The paramedic confirmed that unconsciousness had lasted less than two minutes.
救護人員確認昏迷狀態持續了不到兩分鐘。
Alcohol poisoning can lead to deep unconsciousness and requires emergency hospital treatment.
酒精中毒可能導致深度昏迷，需要緊急送醫治療。
- consciousness
the normal waking state of being aware and responsive
文法句型
unconsciousness + verb: sets in / occurs / lasts
用法筆記
Uncountable; typically used with verbs like fall into, lapse into, slip into, or recover from. This sense belongs to medical or emergency contexts — distinguish from the psychological concept of the unconscious mind.
常見錯誤
unconsciousness — 形容詞
- unconsciousnesspositive
- more unconsciousnesscomparative
- most unconsciousnesssuperlative
1. in a state like sleep caused by a blow to the head, a medical condition, or a dr
失去知覺的
因打擊或藥物而昏迷的
in a state like sleep caused by a blow to the head, a medical condition, or a drug, so that you cannot see, hear, feel, or move
The boxer was knocked unconscious in the third round and did not get up for several seconds.
那位拳擊手在第三回合被打昏，好幾秒鐘都沒有站起來。
verb pattern: knock + person + unconscious
Amira found her grandfather lying unconscious on the bathroom floor and called for an ambulance.
Amira 發現祖父昏迷在浴室地板上，立刻叫了救護車。
Dr. Okafor was rendered unconscious by the gas leak before the firefighters arrived.
消防隊員趕到之前，Okafor 醫師已經因為瓦斯外洩而昏迷了。
The hiker remained unconscious for several hours after falling down the cliff.
那名登山客從懸崖摔下後昏迷了好幾個小時。
- conscious
awake and able to see, hear, feel, and respond
文法句型
be / lie / remain + unconscious
用法筆記
Used only after a linking verb (be, lie, remain, fall) — never before a noun. Compare KNOCKED OUT vs UNAWARE: this sense describes physical unresponsiveness; adj/5 describes lack of knowledge.
常見錯誤
2. done or happening without consciously thinking about it, especially because it h
不自覺
未經思考而做出的習慣性動作
done or happening without consciously thinking about it, especially because it has become a habit or an instinct
Mei had an unconscious habit of tapping her pen whenever she was concentrating on a hard problem.
Mei 有個不自覺的習慣，專心思考難題時就會用筆敲桌子。
attributive use: unconscious + habit
Diego's unconscious gesture of rubbing his chin revealed his nervousness to everyone in the room.
Diego 搓下巴的不自覺動作，讓會議室裡每個人都看出了他的緊張。
Running away from a loud noise is an unconscious reaction that young children show without being taught.
聽到巨響就跑開，是一種連幼兒都會表現出來的不自覺反應。
Yuki had an unconscious way of biting her lip when she felt anxious about a test.
Yuki 在考試焦慮時會有不自覺咬嘴唇的習慣。
- automatic
emphasises mechanical, routine behaviour; less about mental processes
- instinctive
biologically driven rather than learned; stronger implication of being natural
- reflex
used as an adjective primarily for physical reactions
- deliberate
done on purpose, with full awareness
- conscious
done with awareness and intention
文法句型
unconscious + noun (habit / gesture / reaction)
用法筆記
Attributive position (before a noun) is the most natural placement for this sense. If placed predicatively — 'His gesture was unconscious' — the meaning shifts toward INADVERTENT (sense 7).
3. relating to the part of your mind that holds thoughts, feelings, and memories th
潛意識的
與潛意識心理活動有關的
relating to the part of your mind that holds thoughts, feelings, and memories that you are not aware of, but that can affect your behaviour
According to Jungian psychology, unconscious desires often appear in dreams as symbols or strange characters.
根據榮格心理學，潛意識慾望經常以符號或奇怪的角色出現在夢中。
collocation: unconscious + desire
The therapist helped Lucia understand that her fear of water came from an unconscious memory of early childhood.
心理治療師協助 Lucia 了解到她對水的恐懼源自兒時的潛意識記憶。
attributive: unconscious + memory
Freud argued that slips of the tongue can reveal a person's hidden unconscious thoughts.
佛洛伊德主張，口誤可以透露一個人隱藏的潛意識想法。
Ananya's sudden anxiety seemed to stem from an unconscious fear of being left alone as a child.
Ananya 突然感到的焦慮似乎源於童年時害怕被遺棄的潛意識恐懼。
- subconscious
more common in everyday speech; less technically Freudian than unconscious in psychology contexts
文法句型
unconscious + noun (desire / fear / mind / process)
用法筆記
Attributive only; this sense refers specifically to the psychoanalytic concept of the unconscious mind. Do not use predicatively — 'His fear is unconscious' would be interpreted as sense 7 (INADVERTENT).
常見錯誤
4. not having a mind or the ability to feel or experience anything; used of matter,
無生命的
沒有意識或感受能力的物質
not having a mind or the ability to feel or experience anything; used of matter, objects, or natural forces that lack life or awareness
The philosopher argued that rocks and rivers are unconscious matter, incapable of suffering or joy.
那位哲學家主張，岩石和河流是無生命的物質，沒有感受痛苦或喜悅的能力。
philosophical context: unconscious + matter
In some traditions, the universe is not mere unconscious substance but has purpose and meaning.
在某些傳統中，宇宙並非只是無生命的物質，而是充滿了目的與意義。
Spinoza viewed animals as conscious beings but considered plants to be unconscious forms of life.
Spinoza 認為動物是有意識的，但認為植物是無生命的生命形式。
The debate about whether a computer can ever be more than an unconscious machine continues among scientists.
電腦是否永遠只是一部無生命的機器，這個爭論在科學界仍然持續。
- inanimate
more common; simply means not alive, without implying the absence of a mind
- insentient
formal; lacking the capacity to feel or perceive
文法句型
unconscious + noun (matter / object / nature)
用法筆記
Rare and technical; found mainly in philosophical or theological writing. Distinguish from KNOCKED OUT (sense 1), which describes a living being who has lost consciousness temporarily.
5. not knowing about something or not realising that something is true or happening
未察覺
沒有意識到某事發生或存在
not knowing about something or not realising that something is true or happening
The hikers were completely unconscious of the storm approaching from the other side of the mountain.
那些登山客完全沒有察覺到暴風雨正從山的另一側逼近。
pattern: unconscious + of + noun phrase
Arjun was unconscious of his colleagues leaving for the day until the guard reminded him.
Arjun 沒有察覺同事們已經下班離開，直到警衛提醒他。
Many people are unconscious of how much time they spend on their phones each day.
許多人沒有察覺到自己每天花多少時間在手機上。
The children were completely unconscious of the danger as they played near the busy road.
孩子們在繁忙的道路旁玩耍，完全沒有察覺到危險。
文法句型
be + unconscious + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Predicative only (never placed before a noun). Always followed by of + noun phrase or a wh-clause. This is the only sense that patterns with of, which helps distinguish it from the other adjective senses.
常見錯誤
6. done or produced without the person thinking about how they look or trying to im
自然的
不刻意修飾、發自內在的優雅
done or produced without the person thinking about how they look or trying to impress others; natural and unforced
The young dancer moved across the stage with an unconscious grace that no training could teach.
那位年輕舞者在舞台上展現出一種再多的訓練也無法教出來的自然優雅。
collocation: unconscious + grace
What made her singing special was the unconscious ease with which she reached the highest notes.
她的歌聲之所以特別動人，在於她唱到最高音時帶著一種自然的從容。
Children often have an unconscious charm that adults lose when they start worrying how others see them.
小孩往往有一種自然的魅力，而大人一旦開始在意別人的眼光就會失去它。
The speaker's unconscious humour made the audience laugh even during serious parts of the talk.
那位講者不經意的幽默，即使在嚴肅的環節也讓聽眾笑了出來。
- natural
more general; can describe anything that is not artificial or forced
- effortless
focuses on the lack of apparent struggle rather than the lack of self-awareness
- unstudied
formal; suggests naturalness that is not practiced or rehearsed
- self-conscious
worried about how others perceive you; awkward and deliberate
- studied
deliberately practised or affected in style
文法句型
unconscious + noun (grace / ease / charm)
用法筆記
Attributive only; describes a quality of a person's performance or appearance. This sense carries a strong positive connotation — the absence of self-consciousness is seen as admirable.
7. not deliberately chosen or intended, and often happening without the person real
無意的
非刻意持有或策劃的偏見或假設
not deliberately chosen or intended, and often happening without the person realising it; used especially about attitudes, biases, or assumptions that affect behaviour
Many companies now offer training to help employees recognise their own unconscious biases during hiring.
許多公司提供訓練課程，幫助員工在招募時辨識自己的無意識偏見。
standard collocation: unconscious bias
The teacher's unconscious assumption that quiet students are less able can cause them to overlook talented children.
老師不自覺地假設安靜的學生能力較差，可能導致他們忽略教室裡有資質的孩子。
attributive: unconscious + assumption
Deepa realised that preferring candidates from a certain university was an unconscious prejudice she needed to fix.
Deepa 意識到自己偏好某所大學的求職者，是她必須改正的無意偏見。
The study showed that many doctors hold an unconscious preference for treating patients from similar backgrounds.
研究顯示，許多醫師對於來自相似背景的病患抱持著無意的偏好。
- inadvertent
focuses on the accidental nature; slightly more formal
- unintentional
clearer and more common in everyday speech
- implicit
technical term in psychology for attitudes that operate automatically
- deliberate
done on purpose with full awareness
- conscious
fully intentional and recognised by the person
- explicit
openly stated rather than hidden or automatic
文法句型
unconscious + noun (bias / prejudice / assumption / discrimination)
用法筆記
Attributive only in the most natural usage. This sense has become especially common in workplace and social-justice contexts with the phrase unconscious bias. Unlike sense 5 (UNAWARE), this sense describes the attitude itself rather than the person's lack of awareness.