Noun
After college, her professor became her close friend and mentor.
He needed a mentor to teach him about the world of politics.
We volunteer as mentors to disadvantaged children.
young boys in need of mentorsVerb
The young intern was mentored by the country's top heart surgeon.
Our program focuses on mentoring teenagers.
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Noun
Four Best Practices for Nurturing Change Recognize and Coach: Celebrate achievements publicly and mentor team members privately to support their growth.—Mamie Jones, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025 The 22-year-old entrepreneur has also received advice from mentors, including Kris Jenner, Sara Blakely of Spanx, and Joanne Bradford, the former president of Honey.—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
Improving emotional intelligence correlates with measures like professional confidence, ethics, engagement with managers and employees, mentoring and coaching staff and advising the board of directors on critical HR issues.—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025 Finding a workplace that fosters mentoring is crucial for career development.—Julia Sullivan, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mentor
Word History
Etymology
Noun
as name borrowed from Latin Mentōr, borrowed from Greek Méntōr; as generic noun borrowed from French mentor, after Mentor, character in the novel Les aventures de Télémaque (1699) by the French cleric and writer François Fénelon (1651-1715), based on characters in the Odyssey
Note:
In Fénelon's work Mentor is a principal character, and his speeches and advice to Telemachus during their travels constitute much of the book's substance.
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