mental block

British

noun

See block

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

But she suffered the "twisties" -- a mental block triggered by stress or anxiety -- and withdrew from events to prioritise her mental health.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

"There is this mental block in Australia and also this emotional block - a fear of abandonment, this idea that we can't defend ourselves alone. But we absolutely can if we have to."

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2025

Aspinall has also come back from elbow, wrist and back injuries, along with tackling dartitis - a condition where players have a mental block when it comes to throwing on the stage.

From BBC • May 22, 2025

Hamstrung by her mental block that caused her body to freeze before most backwards skills, Moors was held out of her training group because she couldn’t complete the requisite skills.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2025

I focused on trying to untangle whatever mental block he had thrown on me.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023