mental

¹

[ men-tl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the mind:

   mental powers;

   mental suffering.

2. of, relating to, or affected by a disorder of the mind:

   a mental patient;

   mental illness.

3. providing care for persons with disordered minds, emotions, etc.:

   a mental hospital.

4. performed by or existing in the mind:

   mental arithmetic;

   a mental note.

5. pertaining to intellectuals or intellectual activity.
6. Informal. slightly daft; out of one's mind; crazy:

   He's mental.

noun

1. Informal. a person with a psychological disorder:

   a fascist group made up largely of mentals.

mental

²

[ men-tl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the chin.

mental

¹

/ ˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. anatomy of or relating to the chin Alsogenial

mental

²

/ ˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. of or involving the mind or an intellectual process
2. occurring only in the mind

   mental calculations

3. affected by mental illness Preferred formpsychiatric

   a mental patient

4. concerned with care for persons with mental illness Preferred formpsychiatric

   a mental hospital

5. slang.
   insane

Derived Forms

• ˈmentally, adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of mental¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin mentālis, equivalent to Latin ment- (stem of mēns ) mind + -ālis -al ¹

Origin of mental²

First recorded in 1720–30; from Latin ment(um) “the chin” ( mentum ) + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mental¹

C18: from Latin mentum chin

Origin of mental²

C15: from Late Latin mentālis, from Latin mēns mind

Example Sentences

Smith returned to California in “a bad mental spot” — depression runs in his family, he says — but he regained some stability working as a nurse and as a worship leader.

From Los Angeles Times

A 2023 report by Duke University revealed that data brokers were selling sensitive data on individuals’ mental health conditions on the open market.

From Los Angeles Times

Defence lawyers said she suffered a mental breakdown and wanted to die with her children but left the car at the last minute.

From BBC

This suggests a "hybrid" nature of these death whistle sounds, combining a basic psychoaffective influence on listeners with more elaborate mental processes of sound symbolism, signifying the iconographic nature.

From Science Daily

Lamirand took steps to protect her mental health by cutting social media ties with people whose values aren’t aligned with hers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cerebral
• intellectual
• psychiatric
• subjective

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?

• cerebral
• intellectual
• psychological

What are some words that share a root or word element with mental? 

 

• mentality
• mentum

What are some words that often get used in discussing mental?

• mind
• health
• illness
• disorder
• note
• image
• state
• thought

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