mantra
Americannoun
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Hinduism. a word or formula, as from the Veda, chanted or sung as an incantation or prayer.
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an often repeated word, formula, or phrase, often a truism.
If I hear the “less is more” mantra one more time, I'll scream.
noun
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Hinduism any of those parts of the Vedic literature which consist of the metrical psalms of praise
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Hinduism Buddhism any sacred word or syllable used as an object of concentration and embodying some aspect of spiritual power
Other Word Forms
- mantric adjective
Etymology
Origin of mantra
Borrowed into English from Sanskrit around 1800–10
Explanation
A mantra is a motivating chant, like the “I think I can, I think I can” you repeat over and over to yourself on the last stretch of every marathon you run. A mantra is usually any repeated word or phrase, but it can also refer more specifically to a word repeated in meditation. Mantra comes from a Sanskrit word meaning a “sacred message or text, charm, spell, counsel.” The Indian spiritual leader Sri Sathya Baba said, “A pure thought from a pure heart is better than a mantra.” Meaning, a mantra is great and all, but really, pure intentions and genuine kindness mean more.
Vocabulary lists containing mantra
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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"Rogue Wave," Vocabulary from the short story
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On Your Mark, Get Set, Commence Your Life!
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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.
There is a little mantra that I learned when I trained on public speaking at the New Jersey Leadership Collective back in 2020.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
ING economist Carsten Brzeski said the ECB's mantra before the war -- that it was in a "good place" on rates -- was "no more".
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
It flew in the face of the mantra of the “quiet professional” that suffused military culture, a kind of sober maturity that was critical to judicious use of deadly force.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
“I’ve always had the ability to go on these runs ... but it’s staying aggressive. My little mantra today was keep swinging, and keep swinging hard at it.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
I repeated it like a mantra as she led me across the bog.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
