# elbow mentality

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/elbow-mentality
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An attitude characterized by self-interest and a willingness to prioritize personal benefit or ambition, often above the welfare of an organization or community; a willingness to elbow (verb) past others.

## Examples

- His elbow mentality makes it hard for him to work in a team.
- You cannot build a strong community if everyone has an elbow mentality.
- The office culture changed when the new manager brought an elbow mentality that encouraged everyone to compete for promotions at any cost.
- The project failed because several team members showed an elbow mentality, keeping important information to themselves just to look better than their peers during the final presentation.
- During the store's massive clearance sale, the peaceful atmosphere disappeared as shoppers developed an elbow mentality to grab the best deals before anyone else could.
- In a corporate environment defined by an aggressive elbow mentality, those who prioritize collaboration often find themselves sidelined by colleagues who view every interaction as a zero-sum game.

## Origin

A calque of the German Ellbogenmentalität or Ellenbogenmentalität, from the constituent German nouns Ellbogen or Ellenbogen, meaning elbow, and Mentalität, meaning mentality.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.