mental

1 of 2

adjective (1)

men·​tal ˈmen-tᵊl How to pronounce mental (audio)
Synonyms of mental
1
a
: of or relating to the mind
specifically : of or relating to the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality
mental health
b
: of or relating to intellectual as contrasted with emotional activity
mental acuity
c
: of, relating to, or being intellectual as contrasted with overt physical activity
made quick mental calculations
d
: occurring or experienced in the mind : inner
mental anguish
a mental breakdown
e
: relating to the mind, its activity, or its products as an object of study : ideological
mental science
f
: relating to spirit or idea as opposed to matter
… the distinction between physical things and mental ideas.—John W. Yolton
2
a(1)
often offensive : of, relating to, or affected by a psychiatric disorder
a mental patient
(2)
sometimes offensive : mentally unsound : mad, crazy
… was going a bit mental from old age …—Nevil Shute
—not used technically
b
sometimes offensive : intended for the care or treatment of persons affected by psychiatric disorders
mental hospitals
3
: of or relating to telepathic or mind-reading powers
mental telepathy

mental

2 of 2

adjective (2)

: of or relating to the chin : genial

Synonyms of mental

Relevance

Adjective (1)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of mental in a Sentence

Adjective (1) a funny mental image made him laugh out loud humane treatment of mental patients
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Putellas’ new team-mate Nikita Parris, who has won two top-tier titles and a Champions League in her career, suggests an athlete’s mental steel endures regardless of the context. — Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026 But her attorneys argue the former labor and delivery nurse was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time, and that poor mental healthcare exacerbated her condition. — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Morales believes the biggest strides he’s made with his kicking have been mental ones. — Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 Even though Vaughn's initial plea was not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, and a mental status exam was ordered, no pretrial tests were done. — Brett Barrouquere, Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mental

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Middle English, from Late Latin mentalis, from Latin ment-, mens mind — more at mind

Adjective (2)

Latin mentum "chin" + -al entry 1 — more at mouth entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective (2)

circa 1727, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mental was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing mental

Rhymes for mental

See All Rhymes for mental

Browse Nearby Words

-ment
mental
mental age
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mental. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

mental

adjective
men·​tal
ˈment-ᵊl
1
a
: of or relating to the mind
mental powers
mental health
b
: carried on in the mind
mental arithmetic
c
: occurring or experienced in the mind
mental anguish
a mental breakdown
2
sometimes offensive : intended for the care of persons affected by mental illnesses
mental hospitals
mentally
-ᵊl-ē
adverb

Medical Definition

mental

1 of 2 adjective
men·​tal ˈment-ᵊl How to pronounce mental (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to the mind
specifically : of or relating to the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality
b
: of or relating to intellectual as contrasted with emotional activity
2
a
often offensive : of, relating to, or affected by a psychiatric disorder
a mental patient
b
sometimes offensive : intended for the care or treatment of persons affected by psychiatric disorders
mental hospitals
mentally
-ᵊl-ē How to pronounce mental (audio)
adverb

mental

2 of 2 adjective
: of or relating to the chin : genial
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All