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

Even with room for improvement, both Chenoweth and Deltuva see a change in the Mavericks’ mentality this year that started in offseason workouts. — Justin Fitzgerald, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Football: Off to 2-0 start, Manchester Valley ‘tired of losing,’ showing ‘heart and grit’," 15 Sep. 2019 But this latest challenge, on the social app TikTok, is a clear reflection of just how damaging social media’s herd mentality influence can be. — Christina Oehler, Health.com, "Teens Are Gluing Their Lips for an Internet Challenge—Here's Why That's a Bad Idea," 13 Sep. 2019 He’s being told so much stuff right now in regards to next-play mentality. — Rich Campbell, chicagotribune.com, "Mitch Trubisky’s revelation that he was told not to talk about the Packers game ‘was taken the wrong way,’ Matt Nagy says," 12 Sep. 2019 Conversely, understanding the mentality behind Russia’s recent movements in the Middle East also offers the best roadmap for anticipating and therefore competing with the Kremlin in the region — should Washington choose to do so. — Vance Serchuk, National Review, "Russia’s Middle East Power Play," 12 Sep. 2019 Deep in Shank’s and Falguères’ creation is, perhaps, a coming-of-age tale where youth is witnessed in all its primal intensity, in its utter desolation and us-against-the-world mentality. — Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Pompei' ('Pompéi'): Film Review | TIFF 2019," 6 Sep. 2019 Newsom’s new laws invite more criminals Gov. Gavin Newsom is a proponent of California’s sanctuary city and state mentality. — Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, "Letter: California Gov. Newsom’s new laws invite more criminals," 4 Sep. 2019 That’s the same mentality that influenced me in fashion. — Whitney Wei, Vogue, "This Stylish Berlin DJ Is Mixing Chinese Cybergoth With Ball Culture," 29 Aug. 2019 Our plan for the headline was 'the mentality giants are in town' -- that was my headline. — John Sinnott, CNN, "Liverpool holds on for win against Southampton despite Adrian howler," 17 Aug. 2019

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.