Mental — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˈmen-tᵊl/ men·tal

Meaning & Definition of Mental

Mental (adjective)

  1. of or relating to the mind; specifically, of or relating to the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality
  2. of or relating to intellectual as contrasted with emotional activity
  3. of, relating to, or being intellectual as contrasted with overt physical activity
  4. of or relating to the chin, genial

Mental (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. of or relating to the mind

    "a funny mental image made him laugh out loud"

    similar: cerebral, inner, intellectual, interior, internal, psychological
    related: cognitive, conscious, epistemic, knowing, noetic, psychic, telepathic, alert, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, quick-witted, rational, reasoning, sharp, sharp-witted, smart, thinking
    opposite: nonmental
    near: bodily, carnal, corporal, corporeal, fleshly, physical, somatic, unconscious, brainless, dense, doltish, dopey, fatuous, half-witted, mindless, obtuse, simple, slow-witted, stupid, thick, thickheaded, unintelligent, weak-minded, witless

  2. unable to think in a clear or sensible way

    "He's gone a bitmental after his mother died."

    similar: bats, batty, bonkers (informal + sometimes offensive), brainsick, certifiable (dated, informal + disparaging), cracked (informal + disparaging), crackers (informal + disparaging), crazed (sometimes offensive), crazy (usually offensive), daft (chiefly British, informal), demented, deranged (often offensive), haywire, insane, loco (slang), mad, maniacal, non compos mentis, nuts (informal + sometimes offensive), nutty (sometimes offensive), psycho (informal + disparaging), psychotic (sometimes offensive), unbalanced, unhinged, unsound, wud (chiefly Scottish), around the bend, off one's gourd, off one's head, off one's rocker, out of one's head, out to lunch (slang)
    related: dotty, fey, loopy, off, potty (chiefly British), teched, touched, aberrant, delirious, delusional, delusionary, disordered, disturbed, eccentric, odd, oddball, pixilated, queer, strange, foolish, senseless, witless, irrational, unreasonable, amok, ape, ballistic, bananas, berserk, nuclear, depressed, distracted, distraught, frantic, frenzied, hysterical, raving, wigged-out, fixated, monomaniac, monomaniacal, obsessed
    opposite: balanced, compos mentis, sane, sound, uncrazy
    near: clear, lucid, rational, reasonable, judicious, sensible, wise, healthy, normal, well-adjusted, unneurotic

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Mental

The most common words with a similar meaning to Mental:

Informal + disparaging: cracked, crackers, psycho
Sometimes offensive: crazed, nutty, psychotic
Informal + sometimes offensive: bonkers, nuts
Slang: loco, out to lunch
Dated, informal + disparaging: certifiable
Usually offensive: crazy
cerebral, inner, intellectual, interior, internal, psychological, bats, batty, brainsick, demented, haywire, insane, mad, maniacal, non compos mentis, unbalanced, unhinged, unsound, around the bend, off one's gourd, off one's head, off one's rocker, out of one's head

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Mental

Words with the opposite meaning of Mental:

nonmental, balanced, compos mentis, sane, sound, uncrazy

Related Words for Mental

cognitive, conscious, epistemic, knowing, noetic, psychic, telepathic, alert, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, quick-witted, rational, reasoning, sharp, sharp-witted, smart, thinking, dotty, fey, loopy, off, potty, teched, touched, aberrant, delirious, delusional

Near Antonyms of Mental

bodily, carnal, corporal, corporeal, fleshly, physical, somatic, unconscious, brainless, dense, doltish, dopey, fatuous, half-witted, mindless, obtuse, simple, slow-witted, stupid, thick, thickheaded, unintelligent, weak-minded, witless, clear, lucid, rational, reasonable, judicious, sensible

Origin & Etymology of Mental

Middle English, from Late Latin mentalis, from Latin ment-, mens mind mind

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Mental

Words & Phrases Containing Mental

mental age, mental case, mental deficiency, mental health, mental health day, mental illness, mental retardation, mental faculties

Frequently Asked Questions about Mental

What does "Mental" mean?

"Mental" means of or relating to the mind; specifically, of or relating to the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality. As an adjective, it is defined as: of or relating to the mind; specifically, of or relating to the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Mental"?

Other words for "Mental" include cerebral, inner, intellectual, interior, internal, psychological, bats and batty. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Mental" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Mental"?

There are 100 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Mental". Common alternatives include cerebral, inner, intellectual, interior, internal, psychological, bats, batty, bonkers and brainsick.

What is an informal or casual word for "Mental"?

Casual or informal alternatives for "Mental" include bonkers, nuts, certifiable, cracked, crackers and psycho.

What is the opposite of "Mental"?

Antonyms of "Mental" include nonmental, balanced, compos mentis, sane, sound and uncrazy. Near antonyms include bodily, carnal, corporal and corporeal.

How do you use "Mental" in a sentence?

Examples of "Mental" in a sentence: "a funny mental image made him laugh out loud"; "He's gone a bitmental after his mother died.".

Is "Mental" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Mental" is an adjective.

Is "Mental" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Mental" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts.