mental

Of or relating to the mind or specifically the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality.

Adjective relational

  1. Of or relating to the mind or specifically the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality.
    • I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera,[…], the neurotic victims of mental cirrhosis,...

    Synonyms: inner psychological

    1. Occurring or experienced in the mind.

    2. Relating to the mind, its activity, or its products as an object of study.

      • mental science

    3. Of or relating to intellectual as contrasted with emotional activity.

      • mental acuity

    4. Of, relating to, or being intellectual as contrasted with overt physical activity.

      • Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both...

      Synonyms: ideological

    5. Relating to spirit or idea as opposed to matter.

      • the distinction between physical things and mental ideas
  2. Of, relating to, or affected by a psychiatric disorder.
    • a mental patient

    1. (relational) Intended for the care or treatment of persons affected by psychiatric disorders.

      • mental hospitals

    2. (colloquial, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, dated in the US, Canada, comparable) Mentally disordered; insane, mad, crazy.

      • He is the most mental freshman I've seen yet.
      • He went mental on us.
  3. Enjoyable or fun, especially in a frenetic way.
    • That was a mental party last night.
  4. Of or relating to telepathic or mind-reading powers.
    • mental telepathy

Origin

Borrowing from Middle French mental, from Late Latin mentālis, from mēns (“mind, disposition; heart, soul”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

Forms

more mental most mental

Derived

alpha-thalassemia mental retardation syndrome amental bimental extramental go mental inframental intermental intramental mental aberration mental acrobatics mental age mental arithmetic mental asylum mental block mental breakdown mental calculation mental calculator mental case mentalcel mental cleft mental cruelty mental deficient mental disease mental disorder

Adjective anatomy, medicine

  1. Of or relating to the chin or median part of the lower jaw, genial.
    • the mental nerve, the mental region

    Synonyms: genial genian

  2. Of or relating to the chinlike or liplike structure.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *men- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *mn̥tós Proto-Italic *məntom Latin mentum Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al English -al English mental c. 1727, from Latin mentum (“the chin”) + -al.

Derived

basilomental cardosubmental cervicomental corneomental frontomental gulamental hyomental inframental labiomental mental artery mental foramen mental nerve mental protuberance nasomental occipitomental palmomental pollicomental postmental premental sternomental submental thyromental verticomental

Noun slang

  1. State of mind; ellipsis of mental state.
    • y'all need to fix your mentals
  2. A mentally challenged person.

Forms

mentals

Noun biology, natural sciences

  1. A plate or scale covering the mentum or chin of a fish or reptile.

Forms

mentals