mentally

adverb

men·​tal·​ly ˈmen-tᵊl-ē 

1

: in the mind

Mentally he promised himself that he would never again use a collar on any living creature.

—Brian Jacques

: using the mind

able to mentally calculate large sums

2

: with regard to the mind or its capacity

physically and mentally healthy people

a mentally competent adult

a mentally challenging activity

… if you try to hide the fact that you feel mentally inadequate, and so go around making jokes about your own dullness and acting as if it didn't bother you at all …

—David Foster Wallace

I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions.

—Rick Riordan

Examples of mentally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The team shrunk mentally as the second half went on, a common theme for this club in 2026. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026

If an individual is mentally ill, leaving that person on a median for years is hardly evidence of a functioning mental-health system. — Lawrence Bell, Baltimore Sun, 15 Sep. 2026

People who live alone and work jobs that can be done remotely report being more mentally distressed and socially isolated than those whose work has to be done in person, a recent study published in the journal Science found. — Cordilia James, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

What is clear is that Keith and Camilla’s search for answers is time-consuming, mentally draining and deeply frustrating, compounded by their grief and not helped by what feels like a lack of accountability. — Stuart James, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mentally

• accidentally
• detrimentally
• fundamentally
• governmentally
• incidentally
• incrementally
• instrumentally
• sentimentally
• temperamentally
• coincidentally
• environmentally
• experimentally