Meaning & use
mindfully
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Meanings
adverb
In a way that shows careful attention to what is happening in the present moment, without judging it.
Grammar: Adverb; it modifies a verb, often at the end of a clause: She listened mindfully.
Patterns
- do something mindfully
- act mindfully
- mindfully + verb
She ate her lunch mindfully, noticing every taste and texture.
He walked mindfully through the park, paying attention to the sounds and smells around him.
The therapist encouraged him to breathe mindfully when he felt anxious.
adverb
In a deliberate and thoughtful way, with full awareness of what one is doing.
Grammar: Adverb; it can also come before the main verb for emphasis: She mindfully chose her words.
Patterns
- mindfully consider something
- mindfully choose something
- mindfully approach something
The committee mindfully considered all the options before making a decision.
She mindfully chose a career that matched her values.
They mindfully approached the problem from several angles.
Common combinations
- mindfully eat
- Try to mindfully eat your meals without watching TV.
- mindfully breathe
- She closed her eyes and mindfully breathed for a few minutes.
- mindfully listen
- Good leaders mindfully listen to their team members.
- mindfully walk
- He mindfully walked along the beach, feeling the sand under his feet.
- mindfully respond
- Instead of reacting angrily, she mindfully responded to the criticism.
Synonyms and how they differ
- attentively
- Attentively means paying close attention, but it does not necessarily include the calm, non-judgmental awareness that mindfully suggests.
- consciously
- Consciously means being aware of what you are doing, but it focuses on awareness itself rather than the quality of attention.
- deliberately
- Deliberately means on purpose or after careful thought; it does not imply the present-moment focus of mindfully.
Opposites
Word family
- mindful adjective
- Aware of and attentive to something, often followed by 'of': mindful of the risks.
- mindfulness noun
- The practice or quality of being aware and present in the moment.
Commonly confused: mindfully or mindlessly?
mindfully vs mindlessly
Mindlessly means without thinking or attention, the opposite of mindfully. Be careful with the suffix: -ful vs -less changes the meaning completely.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'mindfully' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Mindfully is an adverb, so it modifies a verb like 'ate'. Option 1 uses it as a verb, option 3 uses it with 'to' as if it were a verb, and option 4 uses it as an adjective before a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mindfully”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.