mentality

noun

men·tal·i·ty | \men-ˈta-lə-tē

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

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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

The losing mentality that infects the clubhouse has recently become obvious by a series of fundamental lapses and defensive breakdowns that almost never showed up during the first five years of the Dan Duquette-Buck Showalter competitive revival. — Peter Schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "Schmuck: During season on the brink, Orioles are losing the head games, too," 14 July 2018 At the macro level, the Subaru brand has always been pitched as resisting mainstream mentalities—a lighter touch, a smarter choice, generally cooler, definitely younger. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "2019 Subaru Ascent: A Bigger, Better Family SUV," 12 July 2018 That unifying mentality of pulling for the underdogs might be gone, but a culture of dedication and commitment lives on. — Ray Boyd, Philly.com, "An Eagles Super Bowl becomes a gift for dads this Father's Day," 14 June 2018 This is very similar to the mentality of The Commonwealth in the comic book. — Troy L. Smith, cleveland.com, "Is this where 'The Walking Dead' is headed in Season 9?," 8 May 2018 The idea of laws being inflexible and authority being absolute — the kind of mentality suggested by the Trump administration’s devotion to one interpretation of Romans 13 — is central to the conflation of GOP party politics and white evangelicalism. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Top Trump evangelical ally: Jesus never broke immigration law," 11 July 2018 Croatia’s team members ascribe their victories to a tough mentality, born of national struggle. — The Christian Science Monitor, "Why this World Cup final is like no other," 13 July 2018 The Panthers have a winning mentality, similar to his Broncos teams. — Chapel Fowler, charlotteobserver, "Panthers newcomer is turning heads. Why is Ron Rivera taking wait-and-see approach?," 15 June 2018 Dauwalter carried that same mentality over to race day. — Ariella Gintzler, Outside Online, "Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter Wins by Stressing Less," 28 June 2018

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.