Our descendants will sooner or later reach, as a race, the condition of cosmic consciousness, just as, long ago, our ancestors passed from simple consciousness into self-consciousness.
Source: tatoeba (3467312)
Self-consciousness
/ˌsɛlfˈkɑnʃəsnəs/
Synonyms for "self-consciousness" (12 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (3)
Noun(2 words)
Strong matches (3)
Noun(1 words)
self aware being
Related words (6)
Noun(3 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abashment, bashfulness, confusion, embarrassment, inhibition.
- Sentence evidence is available for self-consciousness, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, wiktionary, wordnet.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "self-consciousness".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "self-consciousness"
Keep "self-consciousness" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "self-consciousness" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "self-consciousness", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "self-consciousness" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
2 entriesAntonyms
1 entriesSample sentences
5 total sentences available.
I was early to breakfast. I felt a perfectly natural desire to have a good, long, unprejudiced look at the passengers at a time when they should be free from self-consciousness—which is at breakfast, when such a moment occurs in the lives of human beings at all.
Source: tatoeba (8372181)
A difficulty of arranging their lips in this crude exposure to public scrutiny, an inability to balance their heads, and to dissociate self-consciousness from their features, was apparent in them, and showed that they were genuine country girls, unaccustomed to many eyes.
Source: tatoeba (11459470)
[A]nd that one great and all-important occasion and provocative of these beliefs was actually the rise of self-consciousness — that is, the coming of the mind to a more or less distinct awareness of itself and of its own operation, and the consequent development and growth of Individualism, and of the Self-centred attitude in human thought and action.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 5 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "self-consciousness"?
Closest matches include abashment, bashfulness, confusion, embarrassment, inhibition.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "self-consciousness"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.