attitude

American  

[at-i-tood, -tyood] / ˈæt ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /

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.

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attitude British  

/ 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

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Related Words

See position.

Other Word Forms

• attitudinal adjective

Etymology

Origin of attitude

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

Explanation

An attitude is somewhere between a belief, a stance, a mood, and a pose. If you've got an attitude about something, it can be hard to change it because you think you're right. You'll often hear Happy Hour referred to as "Attitude Adjustment Hour," because cheap drinks are one of the best ways to change your attitude. If you're in a bad mood, cocktails can make it better (or worse). An attitude is a way of thinking that you can express just by standing a certain way. For example, putting your hands on your hips and rolling your eyes expresses one kind of attitude, while kneeling with your palms together expresses a very different one.

Example Sentences

Jackson’s image overhaul, meanwhile, came courtesy of the videos accompanying the album, marked by Paula Abdul’s award-winning choreography and infused by Jackson’s pavement-shaking attitude.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

Your stories should demonstrate not only what you’ve accomplished, but that you did so with the right attitude and temperament.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

Doone and another former safeguarding officer, Stephen Spiers, told the BBC that they felt "let down" by the church leadership's attitude to safeguarding.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

As for facing Wilson, Yohannes’ attitude is bring him on.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

She had told us to wait, yet now her attitude said very clearly: You should not have taken me at my word, what I said was said in duty and for no other reason.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Related Words

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