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mentally ill

American  

adjective

  1. having a mental illness.


noun

(used with a plural verb)
  1. Usually the mentally ill mentally ill persons collectively.

Etymology

Origin of mentally ill

First recorded in 1935–40


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.

See Examples For:

It began with small accounts on social media speculating or claiming that Talarico was out not because he was physically ill but because he was mentally ill.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

"The only thing we knew about my medical history is my biological mom was mentally ill, and had depression."

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

The three daughters called their mother mentally ill; Allan did not.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

She’s not only coaching the mentally ill Freddie but she’s also his romantic partner.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

In fact, there are more than three times the number of seriously mentally ill individuals in jail or prison than in hospitals; in some states that number is ten times.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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