Definition of "self-conscious" [self•-con•scious]

• Aware of oneself as an individual or of one's own being, actions, or thoughts. (adjective)
• Socially ill at ease: The self-conscious teenager sat alone during lunch. (adjective)
• Excessively conscious of one's appearance or manner: The self-conscious actor kept fixing his hair. (adjective)
• Showing the effects of self-consciousness; stilted: self-conscious prose. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And though I don’t believe in the idea of self-conscious secrets in any Chinatown, I hope the stories collected in this volume serve to open up a newly expanded view into these neighborhoods as revealed by multiple generations of residents."
• "The purpose behind the creation of Andrea was not to create a self-conscious being, but create a program that could give the illusion of consciousness."
• "The dread I felt stemmed directly from the knowledge that the Shrek sequels took everything good about the first film, and trashed them with ham-handed comedy, self-conscious star voices, and a surfeit of pop culture references."