mental age

noun

, Psychology.

1. the level of native mental ability or capacity of an individual, usually as determined by an intelligence test, in relation to the chronological age of the average individual at this level:

   a ten-year-old child with the mental age of a twelve-year-old; a mental age of twelve.

mental age

noun

1. See intelligence quotient
   psychol the mental ability of a child, expressed in years and based on a comparison of his test performance with the performance of children with a range of chronological ages See also intelligence quotient

Word History and Origins

Origin of mental age¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

The victim in the Arizona case, Adkins, was mentally disabled and was estimated to have a mental age of 13.

From The Daily Beast

Miranda was very young at the time of writing, compared with her present mental age.

From Project Gutenberg

The calculation of mental age is therefore simplicity itself.

From Project Gutenberg

This figure we will use to indicate his mental age as distinguished from his chronological or physical or actual age.

From Project Gutenberg

If a child's mental age is the same as his chronological age, he is just average, neither bright nor dull.

From Project Gutenberg

This is the mental age divided by the chronological, and is usually expressed in per cent.

From Project Gutenberg