mentally

adverb

men·​tal·​ly ˈmen-tᵊl-ē How to pronounce mentally (audio)
1
: in the mind
Mentally he promised himself that he would never again use a collar on any living creature.Brian Jacques
: using the mind
able to mentally calculate large sums
2
: with regard to the mind or its capacity
physically and mentally healthy people
a mentally competent adult
a mentally challenging activity
… if you try to hide the fact that you feel mentally inadequate, and so go around making jokes about your own dullness and acting as if it didn't bother you at all …David Foster Wallace
I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions.Rick Riordan

Examples of mentally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Schoen quickly resigned himself to losing kayaks and other river equipment and mentally prepared for a debris cleanup first thing in the morning. Abrielle Kate Maddison, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026 What happens when mentally ill defendants can’t be prosecuted? Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026 Something that once was a symbol of generational gatekeeping has now become a way of keeping herself mentally fit. Grace Hwang Lynch, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026 Authorities have described Nancy Guthrie as mentally sound but with limited mobility. Hallie Golden, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mentally

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mentally was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Mentally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mentally. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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