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

Each filled a hole; each supplied a missing insight, an attitude to risk which, if more prevalent, might have prevented the catastrophe.

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Tina McKenzie, policy chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, said the increase in unemployment and drop in the number of people on payroll shows the government's "complacent attitude to jobs and businesses".

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Shifting attitudes in rural communities, where farming is a mainstay of life, poses a challenge.

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He explained there is a cumulative damage to years of dealing with racist attitudes, which ripples through the whole family.

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"We were never scared to speak our mind and I think that feisty attitude steered us in the right direction," she laughs.

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Related Words

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