mentally ill
Americanadjective
noun
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.
Until we modify our laws so the mentally ill can get the help they need and deserve, nothing will change.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Those are surely factors, but what we are witnessing is a legal show trial, acting out institutionalized vengeance toward a mother who was severely and obviously mentally ill, something on which both sides agree.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
Wiseman caused instant controversy with his first film, "Titicut Follies," which remains one of his most famous documentaries, shot in 1967 and capturing the bleak reality of an asylum for the mentally ill, Bridgewater.
From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026
In 1811, Saxony’s king converted it into a model asylum for the mentally ill, and for many years it was.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
And I don't mean special in the sense of mentally ill, I mean special in the sense of good, genuine people, and that's definitely Needles.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
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.
