mind-set
Britishnoun
Explanation
Your usual way of thinking about the world is your mind-set. If you're dreading taking the SAT, remember that a positive mind-set will not only make you feel less stressed and more confident, but might even improve your test score. Your feelings, attitudes, and opinions about things make up your mind-set. You might have a pessimistic mind-set, always seeing the glass as half-empty and generally expecting the worst, or a hard-working mind-set, with a habitual focus on being a conscientious, dedicated worker. In the 1920s, the term was considered to be "educators' jargon," and defined as "habits of mind formed by previous experience."
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.
An equally big problem with quarterly reporting is the mind-set it reinforces.
From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025
The culture is different, with more of a collective mind-set in Japan, and things there tend to revert to the mean.
From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025
Having played as a striker in her youth football days, the 24-year-old's impressive passing ability, sharp vision and attacking mind-set come as no surprise.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025
“It’s about changing the mind-set and lifestyle of overweight people, many of whom have never exercised before.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2025
"What can you tell us about him? His personality, his mind-set?"
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
