mindful
Americanadjective
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attentive, aware, or careful (usually followed byof ).
mindful of one's responsibilities.
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noting or relating to the psychological technique of mindfulness.
mindful observation of one's experiences.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mindful
First recorded in 1375–1425, mindful is from the late Middle English word mindeful. See mind, -ful
Explanation
Being mindful means paying close attention to or being especially conscious of something. If you are aware of the fact that your friend is upset, you're mindful of her feelings. Sometimes mindful has the sense of "careful," as when a farmer is mindful of the amount of water she uses during a drought, or when you're mindful of the fact that your little sister easily gets her feelings hurt. In Old English, myndful meant "of good memory," or "having a good mind," while the related word myndig had a meaning similar to today's mindful.
Vocabulary lists containing mindful
Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 1
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Careful
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Vocabulary from Readings, Unit 3
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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.
Dulli told Salon that he’s been mindful about taking care of his instrument.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
“I’m mindful of my capabilities and I’m still, from the neck up, pretty good,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
"You have to be really mindful that you're being as respectful to your brother as a colleague and you see him as a colleague and not a sibling," she says.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
"We are mindful of the constitutional and legal obligation... to safeguard the life, health, dignity and security of persons in custody," the panel wrote.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
I put everything I had into Malia and Sasha and their development, but as First Lady I was mindful, too, of a larger obligation.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
