mentalism

American  

[men-tl-iz-uhm] / ˈmɛn tlˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the doctrine that objects of knowledge have no existence except in the mind of the perceiver.

2. the doctrine that human conduct reflects the operation of a nonmaterial principle.

3. any psychological theory that accepts as a proper subject of study the mental basis for human behavior.

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mentalism British  

/ ˈmɛntəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. philosophy the doctrine that mind is the fundamental reality and that objects of knowledge exist only as aspects of the subject's consciousness Compare physicalism idealism See also monism materialism

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Other Word Forms

• mentalist noun
• mentalistic adjective
• mentalistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of mentalism

First recorded in 1870–75; mental ¹ + -ism

Example Sentences

“In our genre, mentalism, mind-reading, it’s normally very small. Like in a parlor setting or a face-to-face thing,” said Ten.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2025

Because mentalism acts, such as those perfected by Derren Brown, Derek DelGaudio or Scott Silven, remain popular.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2023

Over time, Brown found himself more and more drawn to mentalism and started developing his credo of letting audiences see what the process of mind reading looked like in action.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 30, 2019

At the age of 7, he grew interested in magic shows, and by the time he was a teenager, he’d become infatuated with mentalism.

From Slate • May 17, 2017

Such is the religious antagonism that will ever be found in the world while man remains what he now is, ever divided between mentalism and materialism.

From Mexico and its Religion With Incidents of Travel in That Country During Parts of the Years 1851-52-53-54, and Historical Notices of Events Connected With Places Visited by Wilson, Robert A.