theory of mind

American  

[thee-uh-ree uhv mahynd, theer-ee] / ˈθi ə ri əv ˈmaɪnd, ˈθɪər i /

Or Theory of Mind

noun

Psychology, Philosophy.

1. the ability to interpret one’s own and other people’s mental and emotional states, understanding that each person has unique motives, perspectives, etc. ToM, TOM

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Etymology

Origin of theory of mind

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

They demonstrate sophisticated theory of mind, tracking what others know and don’t know.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 25, 2025

There's super interesting work in the organizational behavior space about how having more power makes you have less theory of mind for people who are lower status.

From Salon • Mar. 1, 2025

Related: Scientists are discussing if A.I. chatbots have developed theory of mind.

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2023

We found that sleep-deprived people were significantly less likely to want to help others, and that correlated one to one with the impairment in their theory of mind network.

From Scientific American • Oct. 14, 2022

Whether science may not ere long point to some theory of mind connected with animal existence must be matter of uncertainty.

From The Relations of Science and Religion The Morse Lecture, 1880 by Calderwood, Henry