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mental
1[ men-tl ]
adjective
- of or relating to the mind:
mental powers;
mental suffering.
- of, relating to, or affected by a disorder of the mind:
a mental patient;
mental illness.
- providing care for persons with disordered minds, emotions, etc.:
a mental hospital.
- performed by or existing in the mind:
mental arithmetic;
a mental note.
- pertaining to intellectuals or intellectual activity.
- Informal. slightly daft; out of one's mind; crazy:
He's mental.
noun
- Informal. a person with a psychological disorder:
a fascist group made up largely of mentals.
mental
2[ men-tl ]
adjective
- of or relating to the chin.
mental
1/ ˈmɛntəl /
adjective
- of or involving the mind or an intellectual process
- occurring only in the mind
mental calculations
- affected by mental illness Preferred formpsychiatric
a mental patient
- concerned with care for persons with mental illness Preferred formpsychiatric
a mental hospital
- slang.insane
mental
2/ ˈmɛntəl /
adjective
- anatomy of or relating to the chin Alsogenial
Derived Forms
- ˈmentally, adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of mental1
Word History and Origins
Origin of mental1
Origin of mental2
Example Sentences
Mr Justice Saini said: "Each of them suffered a campaign of harassment by email and social media communications. Each of them suffered serious mental health problems arising from Mr Belfield's conduct."
Putting hundreds of thousands of federal employees out of work will only make such mental health challenges more prevalent.
Getting sober then compelled him to focus on his mental health.
He said it severely damaged his mental health too, which was made worse by the sleep deprivation of being a new parent.
There was also evidence of increasing levels of severe mental health problems.
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Related Words
More About Mental
What does mental mean?
Mental is an adjective that means relating to the mind.
It is especially used in contrast with physical, which means relating to the body. Mental is commonly used in the context of psychological disorders or the care and treatment of people who have them. One of its most common uses is in the phrase mental health.
Mental is sometimes used as a slang term with the same meaning as the informal sense of crazy, especially in the U.K. It’s typically used to describe a person or their behavior as being extreme or illogical in some way. Keep in mind, however, that when used in this way, words like crazy and mental may reinforce harmful stereotypes and associations with mental illness.
Example: To be an elite athlete, you have to be physically strong, but you also have to perfect the mental aspects of your game.
Where does mental come from?
The first records of mental come from around the 1400s. It comes from the Late Latin term mentālis, which derives from the Latin mens, meaning “mind.”
Due to the rise in acceptance, study, and treatment of mental illness, mental is very closely associated with such issues. It is often seen in phrases like mental health, mental fatigue, and mental hygiene. It is also very commonly used in a general way to describe things related to the mind or done in the mind, such as in the phrases mental note (a thought to remember something later), mental image (a picture seen in one’s mind), and mental math or mental arithmetic (math done in one’s head, as opposed to with a calculator or on paper).
Mental also has a definition separate from the mind entirely. The word mentum refers to the chin, so mental can be used to mean “relating to the chin.”
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to mental?
- mentally (adverb)
What are some synonyms for mental?
What are some words that share a root or word element with mental?
What are some words that often get used in discussing mental?
How is mental used in real life?
Mental is most generally used to indicate things done with or in the mind as opposed to with the body. It is very closely associated with issues of mental health.
Teens with mental illness dismissed as 'teenagers', women as 'emotional', and men told to 'man up'. Ignore the stigma. Illness isn't shame.
— Matt Haig (@matthaig1) August 30, 2017
1/Goal setting in times of high trauma. Passing on a tip that I've learned across the years. Though my ambition & instinct is to give myself a full agenda filled with lofty goals, I find when trauma is already pushing down on you those lists can lead to collapse & mental fatigue
— Rachel Miner (@RachelMiner1) March 30, 2020
After surprising myself with some mental math tonight I kinda wish I knew a way to get back into tutoring higher math. I miss that being one of my jobs
— Evan Edinger (@EvanEdinger) August 31, 2018
Try using mental!
Which of the following actions is LEAST likely to be described as mental?
A. calculating a sum in your head
B. meditating
C. doing a push-up
D. picturing something in your mind
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