con|scious|ness ◆◇◇ /kɒ nʃəsnəs/ (consciousnesses )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing, usu poss N ] Your consciousness is your mind and your thoughts. □ That idea has been creeping into our consciousness for some time.
2 N‑UNCOUNT The consciousness of a group of people is their set of ideas, attitudes, and beliefs. □ The Greens were the catalysts of a necessary change in the European consciousness.
3 N‑UNCOUNT You use consciousness to refer to an interest in and knowledge of a particular subject or idea. □ Her political consciousness sprang from her upbringing.
4 N‑UNCOUNT Consciousness is the state of being awake rather than being asleep or unconscious. If someone loses consciousness , they become unconscious, and if they regain consciousness , they become conscious after being unconscious. □ She banged her head and lost consciousness. □ He drifted in and out of consciousness.
5 → see also stream of consciousness
co n|scious|ness rais|ing N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Consciousness raising is the process of developing awareness of an unfair situation, with the aim of making people want to help in changing it. □ …consciousness-raising groups.
con|script (conscripts , conscripting , conscripted ) The noun is pronounced /kɒ nskr I pt/. The verb is pronounced /kənskr I pt/. 1 N‑COUNT A conscript is a person who has been made to join the armed forces of a country.
2 VERB [usu passive] If someone is conscripted , they are officially made to join the armed forces of a country. □ [be V -ed + into ] He was conscripted into the German army. □ [be V -ed] Peter was conscripted like every other young man.
con|scrip|tion /kənskr I pʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Conscription is officially making people in a particular country join the armed forces. □ All adult males will be liable for conscription.
con|se|crate /kɒ ns I kre I t/ (consecrates , consecrating , consecrated ) VERB When a building, place, or object is consecrated , it is officially declared to be holy. When a person is consecrated , they are officially declared to be a bishop. □ [be V -ed] The church was consecrated in 1234. □ [V n] He defied the Pope by consecrating four bishops without his approval.
con|secu|tive /kənse kjʊt I v/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Consecutive periods of time or events happen one after the other without interruption. □ The Cup was won for the third consecutive year by the Toronto Maple Leafs. ● con|secu|tive|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ I won first prize for several years consecutively.
con|sen|sual /kənse nʃuəl/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A consensual approach, view, or decision is one that is based on general agreement among all the members of a group. □ Consultation is traditional in the consensual Belgian system of labour relations.
2 ADJ If sexual activity is consensual , both partners willingly take part in it. [LEGAL ] □ Consensual sexual contact between two males can be a criminal activity.
con|sen|sus /kənse nsəs/ N‑SING A consensus is general agreement among a group of people. □ [+ amongst ] The consensus amongst scientists is that the world will warm up over the next few decades. □ The question of when the troops should leave would be decided by consensus.
con|sent /kənse nt/ (consents , consenting , consented )
1 N‑UNCOUNT [usu with poss] If you give your consent to something, you give someone permission to do it. [FORMAL ] □ [+ to ] Pollard finally gave his consent to the search. □ Can my child be medically examined without my consent?
2 VERB If you consent to something, you agree to do it or to allow it to be done. [FORMAL ] □ [V to-inf] He finally consented to go. □ [V + to ] The patient must consent to the surgery. □ [V ] I was a little surprised when she consented.
3 → see also age of consent
con|sent|ing /kənse nt I ŋ/ ADJ [ADJ n] A consenting adult is a person who is considered to be old enough to make their own decisions about who they have sex with. □ What consenting adults do in private is their own business.
con|se|quence ◆◇◇ /kɒ ns I kwens/ (consequences )
1 N‑COUNT The consequences of something are the results or effects of it. □ [+ of ] Her lawyer said she understood the consequences of her actions and was prepared to go to jail. □ [+ for ] An economic crisis may have tremendous consequences for our global security.
2 PHRASE If one thing happens and then another thing happens in consequence or as a consequence , the second thing happens as a result of the first. □ His departure was totally unexpected and, in consequence, no plans had been made for his replacement. □ … a time when many people are losing their jobs as a consequence of the recession.
3 PHRASE Something or someone of consequence is important or valuable. If something or someone is of no consequence , or of little consequence , they are not important or valuable. [FORMAL ] □ As an overseer, he suddenly found himself a person of consequence. □ Where he is from is of no consequence to me.
4 PHRASE If you tell someone that they must take the consequences or face the consequences , you warn them that something unpleasant will happen to them if they do not stop behaving in a particular way. □ These pilots must now face the consequences of their actions and be brought to trial. □ If climate changes continue, we will suffer the consequences. COLLOCATIONS consequence NOUN 1
adjective + consequence : dire, disastrous, negative, tragic; inevitable, long-term, serious, unintended; economic, social