Word
Definitions
01relating to the mind
B1 · Intermediate Academic
adj. relating to the mind and the process of thinking.
adj. relating to the mind or intellectual processes as opposed to physical ones.
Español:mental
“The doctor asked about her mental health as well as her physical symptoms.”
“The athlete focused on mental preparation, using visualisation techniques to maintain composure during the high-pressure final.”
Synonyms
02done in the mind
B1 · Intermediate
adj. done in your head without writing anything down.
adj. performed or taking place within the mind, especially without external aids.
“She did some quick mental arithmetic to see if she had enough money.”
“He made a mental note to call the supplier first thing Monday morning to resolve the shipping discrepancy.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03crazy or wild
B2 · Upper Intermediate British English · Informal
adj. crazy, very strange, or extremely wild.
adj. denoting someone or something that is insane, foolish, or extremely chaotic. Informal and often used for emphasis.
“The crowd went mental when the band finally walked onto the stage.”
“The traffic in the city centre was absolutely mental during the festival weekend, with cars backed up for miles.”
Usage
Often used as a predicative adjective after 'be' or 'go'.
Teaching tip
In British English, this is very common for describing a wild party or a person's strange behaviour, but it can be offensive if used to mock real illness.
04relating to the chin
C2 · Proficiency Medicine Technical
adj. relating to the chin or the lower jaw.
adj. relating to the chin or the mentum. Non-gradable and used exclusively in medical or biological contexts.
“The dentist gave him an injection near the mental nerve to numb his lower lip.”
“The surgeon identified the mental foramen to avoid damaging the nerve during the reconstructive jaw procedure.”
Usage
Used in anatomical naming, such as the 'mental nerve' or 'mental foramen'.
Synonyms
05state of mind
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Slang
n. your current way of thinking or your mood.
n. a person's state of mind or psychological outlook. Often used in sports or gaming contexts.
“You need to have the right mental to win a championship like this.”
“The team's mental completely collapsed after they conceded the second goal in the final minutes.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “mental” in context.
Verb
01. assess mental
“Doctors need to assess mental health before prescribing the medication.”
verb + adj
02. improve mental
“Regular exercise is known to improve mental well-being.”
verb + adj
03. mental state affects
“Your mental state affects how you handle daily stress.”
adj + noun + verb
Adjective
04. completely mental
“The crowd went completely mental when the band finally arrived.”
adv + adj
05. purely mental
“The challenge was not physical but purely mental.”
adv + adj
Noun
06. mental arithmetic
“He is incredibly fast at doing mental arithmetic without a calculator.”
adj + noun
07. mental health
“She works as a counselor specializing in adolescent mental health.”
adj + noun
08. mental illness
“Society is becoming more open about discussing mental illness.”
adj + noun
09. mental image
“I tried to form a mental image of the house from his description.”
adj + noun
10. go mental
“My parents will go mental if they find out I broke the vase.”
11. mental health awareness
“The school is organizing a week dedicated to mental health awareness.”
12. state of mental health
“The report highlights the declining state of mental health among teens.”
Real-World Examples
“Psychologists are now finding that mental flexibility, not pushing through at all costs, is the real key to perseverance” “Our team has demonstrated that it deeply impacts people’s decisions and willingness to exert effort. We found that repeated mental exertion can significantly decrease people’s motivation to engage in challenging tasks, and we pinpointed the areas of the brain that make this happen.” “One of the most important steps in preventing overwhelm is recognising that we don’t have unlimited mental energy.” “There are small signs of improvement in the mental health of U.S. teenagers, a government survey released Tuesday said, but the share of students — particularly girls — feeling sad and hopeless remained high.” Etymology
Borrowing from Middle French mental, from Late Latin mentālis, from mēns (“mind, disposition; heart, soul”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).
c. 1727, from Latin mentum (“the chin”) + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Idioms
01. mental gymnast
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/mental
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0