1 ~ (about sth) nervous or embarrassed about your appearance or what other people think of you:
He's always been self-conscious about being so short. * She was a shy, self-conscious girl.
2 (often disapproving) done in a way that shows you are aware of the effect that is being produced:
The humour of the play is self-conscious and contrived.
OPPUNSELFCONSCIOUS
self-consciously adverb:
She was self-consciously aware of his stare.
self-consciousness noun [U]
