mentality
Americannoun
plural
mentalities-
mental capacity or endowment.
a person of average mentality.
-
the set of one's mind; view; outlook.
a liberal mentality.
noun
-
the state or quality of mental or intellectual ability
-
a way of thinking; mental inclination or character
his weird mentality
Other Word Forms
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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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.
Rooney spoke about how difficult it is for a manager as long-serving as Ferguson - who led United from November 1986 to May 2013 - "to maintain hunger and mentality for the game".
From BBC • May 19, 2026
It is a mentality that has brought Casemiro back into the Brazil squad - he is expected to be Carlo Ancelotti's captain at this summer's tournament.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
"We should stop this victim mentality," he told AFP.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
There are lots of new tools, but there’s still an old-school mentality that’s resistant to new tools.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
That was the mentality among peasant farmers, Farmer said.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
