mental block
Britishnoun
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
After losing to Ostapenko in Stuttgart last season, Swiatek disputed she had a mental block, saying her head "was much more clear" than previous matches.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
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
Back in 2008, Page experienced a similar mental block where she "got lost in a skill", triggered by what she said was a lack of confidence in her ability.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2024
For all Stalin’s preparation for the “future war,” he seems to have had some kind of mental block against believing that Hitler was really going to attack him.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
