mentally

adverb

men·​tal·​ly ˈmen-tᵊl-ē How to pronounce mentally (audio)
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
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Her history underscores the need for state law and how the criminal justice system interacts with those mentally ill to be reviewed, advocates told the Journal Sentinel. David Clarey, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025 You're not allowed to mentally terrorize someone. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025 Standing up on that stage, Bevere did realize that that achievement alone made the entire preparation process — both emotionally, mentally and physically, as both a mom and a pageant contestant — worth it. Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025 The fear of regaining weight can make reverse dieting and adding calories back into your eating pattern mentally challenging. Emily Brown, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mentally

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mentally was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Mentally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mentally. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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