mentally

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparable

   In the mind or in a way that involves thinking and feelings rather than the body.

   Grammar: Often paired with an adjective or participle: mentally exhausted.

   Patterns

   • mentally prepared for something
   • mentally tired

   After the exam I felt mentally drained.

   He mentally rehearsed his speech on the train.

   Athletes must be mentally prepared as well as physically fit.

2. 2adverbnot comparable

   Referring to the state of someone's mind or mental health.

   Grammar: Often used with ill, healthy, stable or disabled.

   Patterns

   • mentally ill
   • mentally healthy

   The program supports people who are mentally unwell.

   She stayed mentally sharp well into her nineties.

   Children need to be mentally healthy to learn well.

Common combinations

mentally exhausted

The long negotiation left everyone mentally exhausted.

mentally prepare

Take a minute to mentally prepare before you go on stage.

mentally note

I mentally noted the exit signs as we entered.

mentally and physically

Hiking the whole trail challenged him mentally and physically.

mentally stable

The doctor confirmed he was mentally stable.

Synonyms and how they differ

intellectually

Intellectually focuses on reasoning ability, while mentally covers thoughts and feelings more broadly.

psychologically

Psychologically sounds more scientific and often concerns emotional causes or effects.

in your head

In your head is informal and fits private calculation, while mentally is neutral.

Opposites

Word family

mental adjective

relating to the mind

mentality noun

a typical way of thinking

mind noun

the part of you that thinks and feels

mentalism noun

performance involving apparent mind reading

Commonly confused: mentally or mental?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “mentally”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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