mentality
Americannoun
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mental capacity or endowment.
a person of average mentality.
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the set of one's mind; view; outlook.
a liberal mentality.
noun
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the state or quality of mental or intellectual ability
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a way of thinking; mental inclination or character
his weird mentality
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Etymology
Origin of mentality
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How does mentality compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A mentality is a way of thinking or the ability to think and learn. If someone says you have the mentality of a kindergartener, that's great if you’re in kindergarten, but if you're in tenth grade, they're probably calling you immature. An obvious part of the noun mentality is the word "mental," which means "of the mind." How your mind works is your mentality, either in a way that's measured in school or testing, or in the way you think about things. A learned way of thinking comes from experiences; for example you might have a competitive mentality at mealtime because you share a table with nine brothers and sisters.
Vocabulary lists containing mentality
Farewell to Manzanar
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Ten Words from Today's Times - March 15, 2012
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Our America
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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.
"Mentality is the most important when it comes to the gaokao."
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
"Mentality has improved, approach has improved, preparation has improved," Norris said.
From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025
She’ll take the court at Crypto.com Arena, the house that Kobe Bryant built — a player she reveres, being one of the many young women in basketball carrying on his legacy through the Mamba Mentality.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2025
It’s also appropriate because of the Mamba Mentality they showed along the way.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2024
Mentality, consciousness, is regarded as the prismatic bow in the cloud, a spectral show that appears and vanishes, with no permanent substance.
From The Destiny of the Soul A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life by Alger, William Rounseville
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.
