mentally

adverb

men·​tal·​ly ˈmen-tᵊl-ē How to pronounce mentally (audio)
1
: in the mind
Mentally he promised himself that he would never again use a collar on any living creature.Brian Jacques
: using the mind
able to mentally calculate large sums
2
: with regard to the mind or its capacity
physically and mentally healthy people
a mentally competent adult
a mentally challenging activity
… if you try to hide the fact that you feel mentally inadequate, and so go around making jokes about your own dullness and acting as if it didn't bother you at all …David Foster Wallace
I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions.Rick Riordan

Examples of mentally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Family demands answers after LAPD officers fatally shoot mentally ill man in Koreatown. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2024 This Air sign will consciously engage their children with teaching and storytelling, often creating a lively and mentally stimulating atmosphere. Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 11 May 2024 My children, mentally, can't trust their own friends. Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 9 May 2024 Connor, 26, and a former guard at the state’s Dade Correctional Institution, was cleared Tuesday evening of all charges but one in the murder of a mentally ill prisoner while he was being transferred to another facility two years ago. Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 8 May 2024 The country’s jails and prisons have become its largest provider of inpatient mental health treatment, with 10 times as many seriously mentally ill people now held behind bars as in hospitals. Glenn Thrush Carlos Javier Ortiz, New York Times, 5 May 2024 Tomorrow, the hikers will set out for a roughly five-month journey that will test them mentally and physically. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 May 2024 This unfortunate event highlights the urgent need for reform in how law enforcement handles interactions with mentally ill individuals. Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 3 May 2024 By the mid-2000s, police were encountering more drug users and mentally ill people as stimulant use increased and psychiatric hospitals closed. Ryan J. Foley, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mentally.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mentally was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mentally

Cite this Entry

“Mentally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mentally. Accessed 19 May. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on mentally

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!