mentality

noun

men·​tal·​i·​ty men-ˈta-lə-tē 

plural mentalities

1

: mental power or capacity : intelligence

2

: mode or way of thought : outlook

… the imperialist mentality of the nineteenth century.

—John Davies

Synonyms of mentality

• sense
• intelligence
• intellect
• reason

Examples of mentality in a Sentence

most teenagers do not have the mentality to foresee the consequences of such risky behavior

Recent Examples on the Web

But having an awareness of how to mitigate the impact of falls, and developing the mentality not to be scared of falling, can be crucial to making a deep run at the slipperiest Slam. — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 3 July 2026

Team mentality spurs decisions The A’s were sitting at 40-44 heading into Tuesday, three games out of the American League West lead and 2 1/2 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026

What’s needed is a mindset shift—from a traditional recruitment mentality to a focus on maximizing team output. — Robert Hogeboom, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

To some extent, the 2026 festival was a retrospective of the late twentieth century, when modernist strictures were loosening and a more expansive, pluralistic mentality was taking hold. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mentality

• bunker mentality
• herd mentality
• siege mentality
• victim mentality

Rhymes for mentality

• banality
• bestiality
• brutality
• carnality
• centrality
• chirality
• duality
• fatality
• finality
• formality
• frugality
• legality

Kids Definition

mentality

noun

men·​tal·​i·​ty men-ˈtal-ət-ē 

plural mentalities

1

: mental power : intelligence

2

: a particular way of thinking : outlook

Medical Definition

mentality

noun

men·​tal·​i·​ty men-ˈtal-ət-ē 

plural mentalities

1

: mental power or capacity

2

: mode or way of thought