mental

¹ American  

[men-tl] / ˈmɛn tl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the mind.

   mental powers;

   mental suffering.

2. of, relating to, or affected by a disorder of the mind.

   a mental patient;

   mental illness.

3. providing care for persons with disordered minds, emotions, etc..

   a mental hospital.

4. performed by or existing in the mind.

   mental arithmetic;

   a mental note.

5. pertaining to intellectuals or intellectual activity.

6. Informal. slightly daft; out of one's mind; crazy.

   He's mental.

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noun

1. Informal. a person with a psychological disorder.

   a fascist group made up largely of mentals.

mental ² American  

[men-tl] / ˈmɛn tl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the chin.

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mental ¹ British  

/ ˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. of or involving the mind or an intellectual process

2. occurring only in the mind

   mental calculations

3. Preferred form: psychiatric.  affected by mental illness

   a mental patient

4. Preferred form: psychiatric.  concerned with care for persons with mental illness

   a mental hospital

5. slang insane

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mental ² British  

/ ˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. Also: genial.  anatomy of or relating to the chin

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Usage

What does mental mean? Mental is an adjective that means relating to the mind.It is especially used in contrast with physical, which means relating to the body. Mental is commonly used in the context of psychological disorders or the care and treatment of people who have them. One of its most common uses is in the phrase mental health.Mental is sometimes used as a slang term with the same meaning as the informal sense of crazy, especially in the U.K. It’s typically used to describe a person or their behavior as being extreme or illogical in some way. Keep in mind, however, that when used in this way, words like crazy and mental may reinforce harmful stereotypes and associations with mental illness.Example: To be an elite athlete, you have to be physically strong, but you also have to perfect the mental aspects of your game.

Other Word Forms

• mentally adverb

Etymology

Origin of mental¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin mentālis, equivalent to Latin ment- (stem of mēns ) mind + -ālis -al ¹

Origin of mental²

First recorded in 1720–30; from Latin ment(um) “the chin” ( mentum ) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

"Running around on these things in densely packed metropolitan areas? It would be mental."

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Months later, on a routine mental health walk near the Mar Vista park, I heard a podcast clip that stopped me in my tracks.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Despite being raised Catholic, Clark explains he struggled with his faith and mental health after joining the Army at 16.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

The film’s perspective on mental health, including Sam being open about his use of antidepressants, is quietly refreshing.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

I make a mental note to thank them with every stupid ounce of my being.

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Related Words

• cerebral
• intellectual
• psychiatric
• subjective