mentally
Americanadverb
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in or with the mind or intellect; intellectually.
-
with regard to the mind.
Etymology
Origin of mentally
Explanation
Anything that happens mentally is happening in your mind. This adverb refers to brainy activity. If you’re mentally unstable, you need a shrink. Just as the adverb physically relates to the body, mentally relates to the mind. A mentally tough person is strong-willed. If someone is mentally unfit for a job, he doesn't have the brains to carry it out. A crossword puzzle can be a mentally challenging task. In the Star Wars movies, Jedi knights can mentally move objects just by willing it to happen. This word covers all the things that happen in your head.
Vocabulary lists containing mentally
Selection Vocabulary 4, Unit 4
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Kasich
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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.
She’s mentally competent, he says, has plenty of money, and has made her wishes clear.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Instead, he mentally revisited the many things that could have distorted the measurement, including small variations in temperature and pressure.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
While Buffett remains mentally sharp, people familiar with his health said he has been slowed physically by a fall in June that left him with a broken leg.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
De Paula pointed to improvements across the board — defensively, physically, mentally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
I told myself mentally: ‘It must have been a printing error; this couldn’t have happened.’
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.
