mentalism

American  

[men-tl-iz-uhm] / ˈmɛn tlˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the doctrine that objects of knowledge have no existence except in the mind of the perceiver.

2. the doctrine that human conduct reflects the operation of a nonmaterial principle.

3. any psychological theory that accepts as a proper subject of study the mental basis for human behavior.

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mentalism British  

/ ˈmɛntəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. philosophy the doctrine that mind is the fundamental reality and that objects of knowledge exist only as aspects of the subject's consciousness Compare physicalism idealism See also monism materialism

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Other Word Forms

• mentalist
  noun
• mentalistic
  adjective
• mentalistically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of mentalism

First recorded in 1870–75; mental ¹ + -ism

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mentalism

It was the first step in carving out their niche, the modern, theatrical mentalism that has since become their signature act.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2025

Hunger for proof of a world beyond our own fuelled the rise of spiritualism in the mid-nineteenth century, and then the birth of mentalism as a form of popular entertainment.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 30, 2019

At the age of 7, he grew interested in magic shows, and by the time he was a teenager, he’d become infatuated with mentalism.

From Slate ● May 17, 2017

In a mentalism trick Penn & Teller perform, they use joke books because the payoff “is not just a repetition of information but a joke,” said Teller.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2015

Such is the religious antagonism that will ever be found in the world while man remains what he now is, ever divided between mentalism and materialism.

From Mexico and its Religion With Incidents of Travel in That Country During Parts of the Years 1851-52-53-54, and Historical Notices of Events Connected With Places Visited by Wilson, Robert A.