attitude

[at-i-tood, -tyood]

noun

1. manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind.

   a negative attitude; group attitudes.

2. position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc..

   a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude.

3. Aeronautics.,  the inclination of the three principal axes of an aircraft relative to the wind, to the ground, etc.

4. Ballet.,  a pose in which the dancer stands on one leg, the other bent behind.

attitude

/ ˈætɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. the way a person views something or tends to behave towards it, often in an evaluative way

2. a theatrical pose created for effect (esp in the phrase strike an attitude )

3. a position of the body indicating mood or emotion

4. informal,  a hostile manner

   don't give me attitude, my girl

5. the orientation of an aircraft's axes in relation to some plane, esp the horizontal See also axis 1

6. the orientation of a spacecraft in relation to its direction of motion

7. ballet a classical position in which the body is upright and one leg raised and bent behind

Other Word Forms

• attitudinal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of attitude¹

First recorded in 1660–70; from French, from Italian attitudine, from Late Latin aptitūdini- (stem of aptitūdō ); aptitude

Word History and Origins

Origin of attitude¹

C17: from French, from Italian attitudine disposition, from Late Latin aptitūdō fitness, from Latin aptus _apt

Synonym Study

See position.

Example Sentences

But still: In Musk’s attitude toward Britain, or at least toward his notion of “England,” we see all the signs of unconsummated romance.

Read more on Salon

Unlike Marxism or reform liberalism, it has no systematic ideological program; rather, it is a set of dispositions and attitudes.

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The nature of the allegations - and arguably the Palace's hesitation to take bolder action over a long period of time - has changed the mood, reflecting, as politicians often do, the public's attitude.

Read more on BBC

What makes Gadsden a special player, Harris said, is his never-stop attitude.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This change in mind-set fits within a broader cultural arc that includes the “Buddha-like” attitude and the “lying flat” movement—rejections of relentless competition in favor of detachment.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• angle 
• approach 
• belief 
• demeanor 
• mindset 
• mood 
• notion 
• outlook 
• perspective 
• philosophy 
• point of view 
• position 
• posture 
• reaction 
• sentiment 
• slant 
• stance 
• stand 
• standpoint 
• temperament