mentally
Americanadverb
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in or with the mind or intellect; intellectually.
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with regard to the mind.
Etymology
Origin of mentally
Explanation
Anything that happens mentally is happening in your mind. This adverb refers to brainy activity. If you’re mentally unstable, you need a shrink. Just as the adverb physically relates to the body, mentally relates to the mind. A mentally tough person is strong-willed. If someone is mentally unfit for a job, he doesn't have the brains to carry it out. A crossword puzzle can be a mentally challenging task. In the Star Wars movies, Jedi knights can mentally move objects just by willing it to happen. This word covers all the things that happen in your head.
Vocabulary lists containing mentally
Selection Vocabulary 4, Unit 4
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Kasich
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And Supreme Court litigator Neal Katyal dishes about how he mentally prepped for the case that struck down Trump’s tariffs.
From Slate • May 8, 2026
“And you may ask yourself, ‘Well, how did I get here?’ ” the Talking Heads chided me mentally as I took stock.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
"The responsibility is just to be in a place where I can spiritually, mentally, emotionally give myself to the story in service of Ravi's illness," he says.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
But picturing your future self—and mentally “traveling back” to who you are now—has been shown to increase savings behavior, according to a 2024 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026
The words felt right coming out of his mouth, and he mentally patted himself on the back for thinking of “raid” at the last second.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
