Antibiotic resistance is considered to have a dangerous impact over the human health. Overuse as well as the misuse of the antibiotics lead to antibiotic resistance. This study was intended to identify the awareness in the community regarding the use of antibiotics and to identify the reasons for the irrational use of antibiotics.A questionnaire based community survey was conducted from January to June 2021 at Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka. 150 participants who fulfilled the study criteria were recruited. ‘Knowledge of Antibiotics’ subset from the WHO Questionnaire used for the Survey for antibiotic resistance was used for data collection. The study protocol was approved by the institution ethics board.The study population consisted of 105 females and 45 males. Participants between the age group of 35-44 years were the majority (31%). It was identified that 32% of the participants were using antibiotics without prescription. There was a lack of advice from the professionals regarding the use of antibiotics, which may have led to early termination without completing the course of treatment. It was identified that 81 (79.4%) participants had utilized advices from the pharmacist on using prescribed medications including how and when to take antibiotics, with before and after indication, etc. 20.5% did not receive any advices on the use of antibiotics.Self-treatment, using stocked antibiotics from previous prescription, procuring medicines from family and friends were identified to be the reasons for the irrational use of antibiotics in the community. 70% of them were unaware about completing the course of antibiotics when used for treatment.The lack of awareness also led to the use of antibiotics for non-bacterial infections.The study identified a lack of awareness in the community about the use of antibiotics. Improving awareness and understanding of antibiotics and their use plays a vital role in tackling the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance.