mental Hear it!

mental¹ Definition

men·tal (ment′'l)

adjective

  1. of or for the mind or intellect mental powers, mental aids
  2. done by, or carried on in, the mind (i.e., without using written symbols) mental arithmetic
    1. of, having, or related to mental illness or any psychiatric disorder a mental patient, mental health
    2. Informal mentally deranged; insane
  4. for the mentally ill a mental hospital
  5. having to do with mind reading, telepathy, etc.

Etymology: ME < MFr < LL mentalis < L mens (gen. mentis), mind

mental¹ Related Forms
men′·tally adverb
mental² Definition

men·tal (ment′'l)

adjective

of the chin

Etymology: < L mentum, the chin < IE base *men-, to project + -al

mental Synonyms

mental

modif.

  1. Concerning the mind

    reasoning, cerebral, thinking; see rational 1, thoughtful 1.

  2. Existing only in the mind

    subjective, subliminal, subconscious, telepathic, psychic, clairvoyant, unreal, imaginative; see also mysterious 2.

    Antonyms objective*, bodily*, sensual*.

mental Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • absolutely: It was amazing and every time we scored we went absolutely mental.
  • too: Don't become too mental about exact techniques and don't try to recreate what's there already.
  • all: So gigging is a lot like skydiving, its all Mental, you just have to go for it and Relax.
  • also: Fitness is not only the physical health, but also mental health of a person along with self awareness and emotional satisfaction.
  • alone: Animals were barely perceived to have physical needs, let alone mental and emotion needs, and were kept in appalling conditions.

Modifies a noun

  • illness: The service is usually specific to the symptoms of mental illness.
  • health: Or mental health from the three to add them not renewing with.
  • disorder: You see Lucy has a mental disorder due to a severe car accident.
  • problem: I have suffered from mental health problems which I feel without doubt are linked to the abuse of drugs.
  • distress: The abuse also has a clear impact on the mental health of our clients, often exacerbating any existing mental distress.
  • retardation: Students The target students of these studies were persons with special needs, mainly with the diagnosis of mental retardation.

Used with adjective complement

  • go: The TV has gone mental too - keeps switching from channel to channel willy nilly.
  • call: The point is that some properties which most people would call mental are not necessarily best known to the people whose properties they are.
  • become: Don't become too mental about exact techniques and don't try to recreate what's there already.
mental Quotes

Whatever isfunny issubversive, every joke isultimatelya custard pie† A dirty joke is not, of course, a serious attack uponmorality, but it is a sort of mental rebellion, a momentary wish that things were otherwise.

—Orwell, George pseudonym of  Eric Arthur Blair

If a British guy saw someone at the wheel of a Rolls- Royce, he'd say 'come the revolution and we'll take that away from you, mate', where the American would say 'one day I'll have one of those, when I have worked hard enough'. It's unfortunate we Australians inherited the British mentality.

—Packer, Kerry