attitude

[ at-i-tood, -tyood ]

noun

1. manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind:

   a negative attitude; group attitudes.

2. position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.:

   a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude.

3. Aeronautics. the inclination of the three principal axes of an aircraft relative to the wind, to the ground, etc.
4. Ballet. a pose in which the dancer stands on one leg, the other bent behind.

attitude

/ ˈætɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. the way a person views something or tends to behave towards it, often in an evaluative way
2. a theatrical pose created for effect (esp in the phrase strike an attitude )
3. a position of the body indicating mood or emotion
4. informal.
   a hostile manner

   don't give me attitude, my girl

5. the orientation of an aircraft's axes in relation to some plane, esp the horizontal See also axis 1
6. the orientation of a spacecraft in relation to its direction of motion
7. ballet a classical position in which the body is upright and one leg raised and bent behind

Derived Forms

• ˌattiˈtudinal, adjective

Other Words From

• at·ti·tu·di·nal [at-i-, tood, -n-l, -, tyood, -], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of attitude¹

First recorded in 1660–70; from French, from Italian attitudine, from Late Latin aptitūdini- (stem of aptitūdō ); aptitude

Word History and Origins

Origin of attitude¹

C17: from French, from Italian attitudine disposition, from Late Latin aptitūdō fitness, from Latin aptus apt

Synonym Study

See position.

Example Sentences

Emily Ordaz, the oldest of the victim’s three daughters, said such attitudes are problematic and show law enforcement officers they will face few, if any, consequences, for killings like her father’s.

From Los Angeles Times

"I tried my best, I tried to enjoy and play with the right energy and the right attitude," said Nadal.

From BBC

“When I'm talking to those with multiple homes, my attitude is, if you don't love it, sell it. Take your chips off the table.”

From Salon

"So many people have asked me, what is brat, and honestly, it's just like an attitude, it's a vibe," she said.

From BBC

Her supervisor and mentor, Professor Louis Leakey, though, saw the value in her technique: “He wanted somebody whose mind wasn't messed up by the reductionist attitude of science to animals,” Dr Goodall explains.

From BBC

Related Words

• angle
• approach
• belief
• demeanor
• mindset
• mood
• notion
• outlook
• perspective
• philosophy
• point of view
• position
• posture
• reaction
• sentiment
• slant
• stance
• stand
• standpoint
• temperament