mentally
Americanadverb
-
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.
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 Sheriff’s Department typically houses mentally ill prisoners at the Twin Towers, but Magaña’s family claims he was not transferred to a specialized unit within the jail that deals with more challenging cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
These might be appropriate for older children and adolescents when lifestyle approaches have failed and if the individual is "mentally and physically prepared" for the treatment, she added.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Samms is mentally exhausted by not knowing whether he will be able to afford the new rate every time his lease is up.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I am not retiring now because I feel unable, mentally or physically, to do the necessary work,” she told the delegates at the meeting.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
