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noun

any state of mind differing from the normal state of consciousness of a person, esp. one induced by drugs, hypnosis, or mental disorder
examples

an altered state of mind is any condition which is significantly different from a normative waking beta wave.
word origin

1893
contemporary examples

the euphemism of losing “situational awareness” could be an evasive way of describing just this altered state.
the new c-ckpit threat clive irving october 21, 2009

historical examples

“you are robert darcy’s wife,” he said slowly, trying to adjust his ideas to this altered state of affairs.
parlous times david dwight wells

for many hours i remained brooding over the altered state of my affairs, with no thought arising to cheer me.
the boy tar mayne reid

there are some advantages from this altered state of things.
life and work in benares and k-maon, 1839-1877 james kennedy

it was not long, however, before signs of an altered state of things presented themselves to view.
blackwood’s edinburgh magazine, no. cccxxviii. february, 1843. vol. liii. various

by the next day’s post i wrote to her about the altered state of the relations between us.
the queen of hearts wilkie collins

meanwhile the various foreign powers concerned prepared to make what profit they could out of the altered state of england.
state trials, political and social various

and so it might have been but that the court could not bring itself to accept the altered state of things.
scaramouche rafael sabatini

this was an altered state of the case, and the captain’s report accommodated itself to this alteration.
thirty years’ view (vol. ii of 2) thomas hart benton

they were so proud of it that they presented us with photographs of the monument in its altered state.
the birth of yugoslavia, volume 2 henry baerlein