mindful
Americanadjective
-
attentive, aware, or careful (usually followed byof ).
mindful of one's responsibilities.
-
noting or relating to the psychological technique of mindfulness.
mindful observation of one's experiences.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- mindfully adverb
- mindfulness noun
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.
“We’re just trying to be more mindful of our commercial corridors, where jobs can be created,” says Delta Township Supervisor Fonda Brewer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Were there any discussions around, “Be mindful of what you do on camera,” or “This might follow you for the rest of your life”?
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Ultimately, the prescription from all three managers is similar: Be selective, focus on countries with improving fundamentals and stay mindful of currency risk as well as the risk of a long war in Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
ARK isn’t the only firm attempting to make OpenAI more accessible to a wider audience ahead of a potential initial public offering, but investors should be mindful of the risks.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
As writers, then, we should try to get into our readers’ heads and be mindful of how easy it is to fall back on parochial jargon and private abstractions.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
