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loss of consciousness

loss of consciousness

6 5.3
A short time when a person is not aware of what is around them and does not respond
  • noun
  • /lɔs əv ˈkɒnʃəsnəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pérdida de conciencia
  • After fainting at work, the doctor confirmed that he had experienced a loss of consciousness for several minutes.
  • may result in a loss of consciousness

Examples

  • He had suffered a brief loss of consciousness, a large scalp laceration, and a bruised right knee.

    Academic text (2002)
  • For other children, TBI may not involve a loss of consciousness.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Was there any loss of consciousness?

  • There usually was not a total loss of consciousness, and most were able to hear, although they might not respond.

    Blog text (32)
  • As for her loss of consciousness, one explanation is a disturbance in her heart's electrical function.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Rapid loss of consciousness results from a lack of oxygenated blood.

    Blog text (10)
  • If left untreated, confusion, clumsiness, and loss of consciousness may result.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The patient denied any loss of consciousness, nausea, vomiting, dysphagia, or change in vision.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The symptoms included severe stomach cramps, loss of consciousness, refusal to eat, and undressing and burning clothes in public.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Symptoms of this disorder included extreme fatigue, dyspnea, heart palpitations, sweating, tremors, and loss of consciousness.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

blackout
vsloss of consciousness
38 6.0

A short time when a person becomes unconscious or cannot remember things

is focused on lost awareness and response rather than memory loss
faint
vsloss of consciousness
14 4.4

A sudden brief loss of consciousness

is broader covering temporary unaware states from many causes
unconsciousness
vsloss of consciousness
13 6.0

A state when a person is not awake and not aware of what is happening around them

is a temporary state losing awareness and ability to respond
absence
vsloss of consciousness
  • Specialized
5 9.3

A short time when a person stares blankly, does not respond, and sometimes makes small movements

is a temporary unaware episode not limited to seizures
insentience
vsloss of consciousness
  • Specialized
9.9

The state of not being able to feel or notice things

is usually temporary and reversible rather than a permanent state

Antonyms

336 3.2

Knowing about something or noticing it

14 2.9

A state of being watchful and ready to notice and act on danger or problems

How Conscious

alertness
14 2.9
drowsiness
6 1.8
loss of consciousness
  • Specialized
6 5.3
coma
  • Specialized
259 5.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

loss + of + consciousness

The meaning 'a state of becoming unaware and unresponsive' is directly and compositionally derived from 'loss' (being deprived of) + 'consciousness' (wakeful self-awareness) following the common English 'loss of X' pattern. This straightforward, cross-linguistically common nominal composition makes the phrase immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Loss of consciousness is a simple, literal image: loss (losing) of consciousness (being awake and aware), like a light going out in the mind so a person becomes 'unaware' and does not respond. That's why it means 'to faint' or to lose awareness for a short time.