mentality

noun
men·​tal·​i·​ty | \ men-ˈta-lə-tē How to pronounce mentality (audio) \
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

But mob-mentality social media campaigns also risk sweeping undeserving brands along in a controversy, and overlooking important complexities in the process. Alain Sylvain, Quartz at Work, "What happens when social media’s “cancel culture” misses the point?," 1 Aug. 2019 The new leaks from the production suggest that said script will explicitly call out Bond for his dinosaur mentality. Eliana Dockterman, Time, "Lashana Lynch Is Reportedly the Next 007. Here's How the New James Bond Movie Can Do Right by Her," 15 July 2019 That mentality, that go 1,000 percent that Romeo has, will be amplified with the Celtics. Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, "A flurry of moves leaves Celtics with four new guys, and Aron Baynes on the way out," 20 June 2019 Milch’s scripts got inside the frontier mentality with an intoxicating poetry. Rachel Syme, The New Republic, "The Outlaw World of Deadwood," 6 June 2019 The win-at-all costs, collateral-damage-be-damned mentality of Selina this year was both delicious and disturbing to watch. Dan Snierson, EW.com, "Julia Louis-Dreyfus calls Emmy nods for final Veep season ‘supremely satisfying’," 16 July 2019 This mentality led to filling the fat void with carbs and sugar, which ultimately led to weight gain and a host of fat deficiency side effects, from dry skin to hormone imbalances. Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health.com, "The Zero Carb Diet May Be a Simple Way to Lose Weight—But Is It Safe?," 8 July 2019 But his fighter’s mentality en route to reaching his NFL dream was best suited for moments Jones hit the mat. Kyle Fredrickson, The Denver Post, "A fighter’s mentality powered Broncos’ Dre’Mont Jones to NFL dream," 7 July 2019 Her workhorse mentality and being a solid defender at that end and a true team player on the offensive end was really great for us. Glenn Graham, baltimoresun.com, "2018-19 High School Female Athlete of the Year: McDonogh three-sport star Julia Dorsey," 2 July 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.

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First Known Use of mentality

1691, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for mentality

mentality

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mentality

: a particular way of thinking

mentality

noun
men·​tal·​i·​ty | \ men-ˈta-lə-tē How to pronounce mentality (audio) \

Kids Definition of mentality

1 : mental ability
2 : a particular way of thinking : outlook

mentality

noun
men·​tal·​i·​ty | \ men-ˈtal-ət-ē How to pronounce mentality (audio) \
plural mentalities

Medical Definition of mentality

1 : mental power or capacity
2 : mode or way of thought

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