mentally
Americanadverb
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in or with the mind or intellect; intellectually.
-
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.
The best thing you can do for the group and for your overwhelmed friend: Mentally and financially count her out and wait until she’s ready to face that reality as well.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 30, 2026
"I'm in great shape, but I'll let you know. But no, I have no difficulty thus far... Physically, I feel very good. Mentally, I feel very good."
From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025
Mentally, she has made “leaps and bounds,” she said.
From Salon • Sep. 25, 2025
"Mentally it had really taken a toll on you and we could see how you struggled."
From BBC • Sep. 16, 2025
Mentally I retraced my steps from that morning.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
