mentality

men·tal·i·ty | \ men-ˈta-lə-tē

How to pronounce mentality (audio)

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plural mentalities

Definition of mentality

1 : mental power or capacity : intelligence

2 : mode or way of thought : outlook the imperialist mentality of the nineteenth century— John Davies

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about mentality

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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 That mentality led Holland to seek out friends from different backgrounds and befriend students who didn’t have a lot of friends or were picked on. — oregonlive, "Former Oregon Ducks safety Jevon Holland is taking his talent and unabashed social consciousness to the NFL: ‘I’m actually human before I’m a football player’," 7 Oct. 2020 That same mentality could lead him to request antibodies and antivirals like remdesivir at the first sign of illness. — James Hamblin, The Atlantic, "The President Is Not Well," 3 Oct. 2020 This was the mentality on display at recent protests against the coronavirus restrictions that have popped up in cities across Europe, which have at times turned violent. — Megan Specia, New York Times, "As Europe’s Coronavirus Cases Rise, So Do Voices Crying Hoax," 28 Sep. 2020 That mentality has rubbed off on his team, which tends to happen for guys like Wilson. — Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, "Opinion: With red-hot Russell Wilson, the Seahawks have become NFL's ultimate closers," 28 Sep. 2020 So frenetic was the hockey line-shift mentality, the ND stat crew is still trying to catch up with everyone who rotated in. — Eric Hansen, The Indianapolis Star, "Analysis: Potential long-term gains are worth the September imperfections for Notre Dame," 18 Sep. 2020 Reporters and editors have a distorted single-variable mentality. — WSJ, "It’s No Surprise When Someone Gets Covid," 2 Oct. 2020 Principle 1 is to reject the diet mentality, which Harrison says flows from the diet culture. — Stephanie Dolgoff, Good Housekeeping, "I Tried Intuitive Eating and It Completely Changed the Way I Think About Food," 30 Sep. 2020 The resulting culture had little patience for progressive politics, whose supporters were assumed to have a victim mentality, and, worse, no sense of humor. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, "How Memes Ruined the World," 30 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mentality.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about mentality

Dictionary Entries near mentality

mental philosophy

mental prominence

Statistics for mentality

Last Updated

19 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Mentality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mentality. Accessed 22 Oct. 2020.

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More Definitions for mentality

mentality

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mentality

: a particular way of thinking

See the full definition for mentality in the English Language Learners Dictionary

mentality

men·tal·i·ty | \ men-ˈta-lə-tē

\

Kids Definition of mentality

1 : mental ability

2 : a particular way of thinking : outlook

mentality

men·tal·i·ty | \ men-ˈtal-ət-ē

\

plural mentalities

Medical Definition of mentality

1 : mental power or capacity

2 : mode or way of thought

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