Mind — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈmīnd/

Meaning & Definition of Mind

Mind (noun)

  1. recollection, memory
  2. the element or complex of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons
  3. the conscious mental events and capabilities in an organism

Mind (verb)

  1. to care or worry about
  2. —used to make a polite request
  3. —used with if in situations that might upset someone

Mind (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the part of a person that feels, thinks, perceives, wills, and especially reasons

    "scientists still disagree about exactly where the mind is located"

    similar: brain, cerebrum, head, psyche, thinker
    related: belfry, gray matter, intellect, intelligence, loaf (British slang), noodle, reason, skull, acumen, alertness, astuteness, brilliance, insight, judgment, mentality, perception, perspicacity, sagacity, sapience, wisdom, wit, awareness, cognizance, consciousness, self-awareness, self-consciousness

  2. the normal or healthy condition of the mental abilities

    "everyone used to tease him and tell him he was out of his mind when he swore he'd seen a flying saucer"

    similar: daylights, head, marbles, reason, saneness, sanity, wit(s)
    related: rationality, reasonableness, sense, health, healthfulness, healthiness, wholesomeness, clearheadedness, lucidity, lucidness, normalcy, normality, soundness, wisdom
    opposite: dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, madness, mania, unreason
    near: delusion, hallucination, delirium, frenzy, hysteria

  3. an idea that is believed to be true or valid without positive knowledge

    "please speak your mind freely on this matter"

    similar: belief, conviction, eye, feeling, judgment, notion, opinion, persuasion, sentiment, verdict, view
    related: say, impression, perception, take, attitude, assumption, presumption, presupposition, conclusion, decision, determination, deliverance, esteem, estimate, estimation, credence, credit, faith, concept, conception, idea, thought, position, stance, stand, comment, obiter dictum, observation, reflection, remark, conjecture, guess, hunch, hypothesis, surmise, theory, advice, input, recommendation, suggestion, angle, outlook, perspective, shoes, slant, standpoint, viewpoint, counterview
    near: fact, truth

  4. the power or process of recalling what has been previously learned or experienced

    "call to mind the events of last year"

    similar: memory, recollection, remembrance, reminiscence
    related: hypermnesia, total recall, contemplation, meditation, musing, reflection, retrospection, thinking, awareness, cognizance, consciousness, apprehension, comprehension, grasp, grip, perception, understanding
    near: amnesia, repression, forgetfulness

Mind (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to pay attention especially through the act of hearing

    "you'll be in big trouble if you don't straighten up and mind"

    similar: attend, hark, harken, hear, hearken, heed, listen, prick up one's ears
    opposite: ignore, tune out
    near: discount, disregard

  2. to bring back to mind

    "I seem to mind such a tale from way back"

    similar: flash back (to), hark back (to), harken back (to), hearken back (to), recall, recollect, remember, reminisce (about), reproduce, think (of)
    related: recapture, recur, educe, elicit, evoke, extract, raise, remind, relive, represent
    opposite: disremember, forget, unlearn
    near: misremember, disregard, ignore, neglect, overlook, lose, miss, blank (out)

  3. to act according to the commands of

    "tell the children to mind the babysitter"

    similar: adhere (to), comply (with), conform (to), follow, goose-step (to), obey, observe, abide by, fall in with, keep to
    related: defer (to), submit (to), surrender (to), yield (to), accede (to), acquiesce (to), agree (to), assent (to), attend, hear, heed, listen (to), mark, note, notice, regard, take, watch
    opposite: defy, disobey, rebel (against)
    near: disoblige, challenge, dare, refuse, renounce, repudiate, direct, lead, brush (off), disregard, ignore, overlook, overpass, pass over, tune out, wink (at), dismiss, pooh-pooh, shrug off, breach, break, infringe, transgress, violate, deride, flout, mock, scoff (at), scorn, mutiny (against), revolt (against), buck, combat, contest, dispute, fight, oppose, resist, withstand

  4. to be cautious of or on guard against

    "mind the slippery steps"

    similar: beware (of), guard (against), look out (for), ware, watch out (for), be on the lookout for, keep one's eyes open for
    related: attend, heed, mark, note, notice, behold, discern, observe, perceive, see, watch
    near: discount, disregard, ignore, miss, overlook

  5. to have an interest or concern for

    "don't mind him; he's always complaining"

    similar: care, look out (for), watch
    related: attend, heed, regard, note, notice, observe, empathize (with), feel (for), sympathize (with)
    near: disregard, ignore, overlook

  6. to take charge of especially on behalf of another

    "the salesperson will mind the store while the manager goes out to lunch"

    similar: attend, care (for), oversee, superintend, supervise, tend, watch, look after, see after, see to, take care of
    related: administrate, conduct, control, direct, govern, guide, manage, operate, preside (over), regulate, run, steward, guard, patrol, protect, safeguard, shield, baby, babysit, chaperone, mother, shepherd
    near: abandon, disregard, forget, ignore, neglect, pass over

  7. to take notice of and be guided by

    "mind the instructions that appear at the top of the first page of the exam"

    similar: follow, heed, listen (to), note, observe, regard, watch
    related: consider, contemplate, mull, ponder, weigh, comply (with), conform (to), keep, obey, respect, attend (to), hark (to), hear, hearken (to), mark, notice, see
    opposite: disregard, ignore, tune out
    near: brush (aside or off), discount, dismiss, gloss (over), gloze (over), neglect, pass over, pooh-pooh, scorn, shrug off, defy, flout, slight, snub

Related Entry: Mind-bending (adjective)

Mind-bending is a different word from Mind. The synonyms below are for mind-bending, not for mind.

  1. causing great emotional or mental stimulation

    "a spy novel with a truly mind-bending plot"

    similar: breathtaking, charged, electric, electrifying, exciting, exhilarating, exhilarative, galvanic, galvanizing, hair-raising, heart-stopping, inspiring, intoxicating, kicky, mind-blowing, mind-boggling, rip-roaring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling
    related: arresting, interesting, intriguing, provocative, tantalizing, titillating, absorbing, engrossing, gripping, riveting, moving, poignant, touching, enchanting, enthralling, fascinating, spellbinding, dynamic, energetic, high-voltage, kinetic, lively, lusty
    opposite: unexciting
    near: boring, mind-numbing, tedious, tiresome, dreary, dull, humdrum, monotonous, uninteresting

Related Entry: Mind-blowing (adjective)

Mind-blowing is a different word from Mind. The synonyms below are for mind-blowing, not for mind.

  1. causing great emotional or mental stimulation

    "viewers will be stunned by the movie's mind-blowing twist ending"

    similar: breathtaking, charged, electric, electrifying, exciting, exhilarating, exhilarative, galvanic, galvanizing, hair-raising, heart-stopping, inspiring, intoxicating, kicky, mind-bending, mind-boggling, rip-roaring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling
    related: arresting, interesting, intriguing, provocative, tantalizing, titillating, absorbing, engrossing, gripping, riveting, moving, poignant, touching, enchanting, enthralling, fascinating, spellbinding, dynamic, energetic, high-voltage, kinetic, lively, lusty
    opposite: unexciting
    near: boring, mind-numbing, tedious, tiresome, dreary, dull, humdrum, monotonous, uninteresting

Related Entry: Mind-boggling (adjective)

Mind-boggling is a different word from Mind. The synonyms below are for mind-boggling, not for mind.

  1. causing great emotional or mental stimulation

    "a big-box store with a mind-boggling array of home-improvement supplies for the do-it-yourselfer"

    similar: breathtaking, charged, electric, electrifying, exciting, exhilarating, exhilarative, galvanic, galvanizing, hair-raising, heart-stopping, inspiring, intoxicating, kicky, mind-bending, mind-blowing, rip-roaring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling
    related: arresting, interesting, intriguing, provocative, tantalizing, titillating, absorbing, engrossing, gripping, riveting, moving, poignant, touching, enchanting, enthralling, fascinating, spellbinding, dynamic, energetic, high-voltage, kinetic, lively, lusty
    opposite: unexciting
    near: boring, mind-numbing, tedious, tiresome, dreary, dull, humdrum, monotonous, uninteresting

Related Entry: Mind-numbing (adjective)

Mind-numbing is a different word from Mind. The synonyms below are for mind-numbing, not for mind.

  1. causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest

    "that movie is just a series of mind-numbing explosions and car chases"

    similar: arid, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, monochromatic, monotonous, numbing, old, pedestrian, ponderous, slow, stale, stodgy, stuffy, stupid, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying
    related: aseptic, barren, blah, dullish, pleasureless, prosaic, prosy, soggy, spiritless, blank, earthbound, gray, inanimate, pallid, pedantic, sterile, suspenseless, undramatic, uneventful, unexciting, unimaginative, uninspiring, unnewsworthy, unrewarding, unsensational, unspectacular, annoying, bothersome, irksome, irritating, longsome, palling, draining, enervating, exhausting, fatiguing, wearing, debilitating, enfeebling, demoralizing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting, common, commonplace, ordinary, tepid, unexceptional, unsurprising, vapid, cumbersome, lumbering, plodding, poky
    opposite: absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting
    near: amazing, astonishing, astounding, awesome, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous, sensational, spectacular, surprising, wonderful, wondrous, animating, breathtaking, electrifying, energizing, enlivening, exciting, exhilarating, galvanizing, hair-raising, inspiring, invigorating, rip-roaring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling, amusing, diverting, entertaining, moving, poignant, touching, alluring, attracting, attractive, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, enthralling, entrancing, fascinating, mesmerizing, spellbinding, suspenseful, arresting, provocative, tantalizing

Related Entry: Mind's eye (noun)

Mind's eye is a different word from Mind. The synonyms below are for mind's eye, not for mind.

  1. something imagined or pictured in the mind

    "there was a disturbing detail that he kept seeing in his mind's eye of the accident scene"

    similar: abstraction, cogitation, concept, conception, idea, image, impression, intellection, notion, picture, thought
    related: apprehension, premonition, presentiment, preconception, prejudice, prepossession, chimera, delusion, hallucination, illusion, phantasm, caprice, conceit, fancy, freak, kink, vagary, whim, cognition, observation, perception, reflection, assumption, belief, conclusion, conviction, conjecture, guess, hunch, hypothesis, speculation, supposition, surmise, theory, brainchild, brainstorm, brain wave, inspiration
    near: actuality, fact, reality

Related Entry: Mind reader (noun)

Mind reader is a different word from Mind. The synonyms below are for mind reader, not for mind.

  1. someone who is able to know another person's thoughts without being told what they are; someone who is able to read minds

    "How was I supposed to know what you were thinking? I'm no mind reader."

    similar: mentalist, telepath, channel, channeler, medium, psychic, spiritist, spiritualist, clairvoyant, sensitive

Related Entry: Mind-set (noun)

Mind-set is a different word from Mind. The synonyms below are for mind-set, not for mind.

  1. a particular way of thinking

    "politicians trying to understand the mind-set of voters"

    "She had the mind-set of a champion."

    similar: angle, attitude, outlook, perspective, slant, standpoint, viewpoint, disposition, grain, nature, temper, temperament, cheer, frame, habit, humor, inclination, mode, spirit, emotion, feeling, heart, passion, sentiment, strain, belief, conviction, judgment, mind, notion, opinion, persuasion, view, expression, tone, vein, character, identity, individuality, makeup, mettle, personality, selfhood, self-identity, setup, responsiveness, sensibility, sensitiveness, sensitivity

Related Entry: Mind's eyes (noun)

Mind's eyes is a different word from Mind. The synonyms below are for mind's eyes, not for mind.

  1. something imagined or pictured in the mind

    "there was a disturbing detail that he kept seeing in his mind's eye of the accident scene"

    similar: abstractions, cogitations, conceptions, concepts, ideas, images, impressions, intellections, notions, pictures, thoughts
    related: apprehensions, premonitions, presentiments, preconceptions, prejudices, prepossessions, chimeras, delusions, hallucinations, illusions, phantasms, caprices, conceits, fancies, freaks, kinks, vagaries, whims, cognitions, observations, perceptions, reflections, assumptions, beliefs, conclusions, convictions, conjectures, guesses, hunches, hypotheses, speculations, suppositions, surmises, theories, brainchildren, brainstorms, brain waves, inspirations
    near: actualities, facts, realities

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Mind

The most common words with a similar meaning to Mind:

brain, cerebrum, head, psyche, thinker, daylights, marbles, reason, saneness, sanity, wit(s), belief, conviction, eye, feeling, judgment, notion, opinion, persuasion, sentiment, verdict, view, memory, recollection, remembrance, reminiscence, attend, hark, harken, hear, hearken, heed, listen, flash back (to), hark back (to), harken back (to), hearken back (to), recall, recollect, remember

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Mind

Words with the opposite meaning of Mind:

dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, madness, mania, unreason, ignore, tune out, disremember, forget, unlearn, defy, disobey, rebel (against), disregard

Related Words for Mind

belfry, gray matter, intellect, intelligence, loaf, noodle, skull, acumen, alertness, astuteness, brilliance, insight, mentality, perception, perspicacity, sagacity, sapience, wisdom, wit, awareness, cognizance, consciousness, self-awareness, self-consciousness, rationality, reasonableness, sense, health, healthfulness, healthiness

Near Antonyms of Mind

delusion, hallucination, delirium, frenzy, hysteria, fact, truth, amnesia, repression, forgetfulness, discount, misremember, neglect, overlook, lose, miss, blank (out), disoblige, challenge, dare, refuse, renounce, repudiate, direct, lead, brush (off), overpass, pass over, wink (at), dismiss

Word Forms of Mind

Inflections: minds, minded, minding

Derived words: minder (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Mind

Middle English, from Old English gemynd; akin to Old High German gimunt memory, Latin ment-, mens mind, monēre to remind, warn, Greek menos passion, resolve, mnasthai, mimnēskesthai to remember

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Mind

Words & Phrases Containing Mind

mind-altering, mind-bending, mind-blowing, mind-boggling, mind-expanding, mind frame, mind game, mind-numbing

Frequently Asked Questions about Mind

What does "Mind" mean?

"Mind" means recollection, memory. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: recollection, memory. It has 11 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Mind"?

Other words for "Mind" include brain, cerebrum, head, psyche, thinker, daylights, marbles and reason. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Mind" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Mind"?

There are 230 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Mind". Common alternatives include brain, cerebrum, head, psyche, thinker, daylights, marbles, reason, saneness and sanity.

What is the opposite of "Mind"?

Antonyms of "Mind" include dementia, derangement, insanity, lunacy, madness, mania, unreason and ignore. Near antonyms include delusion, hallucination, delirium and frenzy.

How do you use "Mind" in a sentence?

Examples of "Mind" in a sentence: "scientists still disagree about exactly where the mind is located"; "everyone used to tease him and tell him he was out of his mind when he swore he'd seen a flying saucer"; "please speak your mind freely on this matter".

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

"Mind" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

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

As an A2-level word, "Mind" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Mind"?

"Mind" is pronounced /ˈmīnd/.