mentality

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noun men·tal·i·ty \ men-ˈta-lə-tē \

Definition of mentality

plural mentalities

1 :mental power or capacity :intelligence

2 :mode or way of thought :outlook

the imperialist mentality of the nineteenth century
—John Davies

See mentality defined for English-language learners

See mentality defined for kids

Examples of mentality in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of mentality from the Web

The mentality of hostage-takers is to glory in the number and importance of hostages taken.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Disaster Money May Give Congress a Way Out of Its Fiscal Crisis," 29 Aug. 2017
As told to Kate Friedman Nina Falu, 19 Sophomore at Madison Area Technical College; hopes to major in occupational therapy Our generation of women in college, there’s more of a work mentality.

— kate friedman, Glamour, "These 22 College Students Will Change Your Perspective on What It's Like to be a Young Woman in America Right Now," 23 Aug. 2017
In it, we’re treated to the following claim by Eric Knowles, a New York University psychology professor: An us–them mentality is unfortunately a really basic part of our biology.

— berny belvedere, National Review, "The Destructive Power of Progressive Overreach," 22 Aug. 2017
A permanent campaign mentality is more comfortable terrain for Trump, who relished attacking the government during the presidential race but has struggled to lead it since assuming office.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "Trump Confronts His 2020 Paradox," 21 Aug. 2017
But that mistrust of other countries and determination to forge their own path backfired when the Soviet Union collapsed at the end of the 20th century, and North Korea’s go-it-alone mentality was tested by a sudden decline in foreign aid.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Why North Korea Needs an Enemy Like America to Survive," 28 July 2017
Because the 28-year-old believes races are defined by mentality, to the extent that they are largely settled before swimmers have even entered the pool.

— christina macfarlane, CNN, "Katinka Hosszú: 'Races are settled before swimmers enter the pool'," 11 July 2017
First passed in 2005, Florida’s controversial self-defense law has been criticized for fostering a shoot-first mentality – and giving killers a pass at justice.

— david ovalle, miamiherald, "Miami judge rules Florida’s new Stand-Your-Ground law is unconstitutional," 3 July 2017
Even Tesla's over-the-air updates for its vehicles reveal a mentality that changes both product development and customer experience.

— will friedman, Fortune, "It’s Not the Screen That Makes Amazon’s Echo Show Interesting. It’s the Strategy.," 30 June 2017

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.