mindset
Americannoun
-
a fixed attitude, disposition, or mood.
His conservative mindset sometimes causes him to miss out on important opportunities.
Her judgmental mindset has cost her a number of friendships.
-
an intention or inclination.
I'm not sure what her mindset will be when you ask her about her plans.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mindset
First recorded in 1905–10; mind ( def. ) + set ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does mindset compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A person's usual attitude or mental state is his or her mindset. If you have an environmentalist mindset, you probably bring your own bags to the grocery store. Some examples of mindsets include an optimist's sunny perspective on life, a business owner's entrepreneurial way of thinking, or an Army general's military focus. Sometimes, a mindset spreads between people in a group and colors the entire group's outlook — psychologists call this groupthink. The noun mindset was first used in the 1930s to mean "habits of mind formed by previous experience."
Vocabulary lists containing mindset
"My Left Foot" and "Success Is a Mind-Set"
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"Mindsets in the Classroom"
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Everything We Never Had
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“The mindset of most Canadians right now is one where there is little appetite for anything perceived as giving in,” said David Coletto, chief executive of Abacus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
We’ll drop those kind of events so we’re constantly in everyone’s mindset.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
"We need a long process of changing the mindset" of the nobles, he said during the enormous funeral of one of them close to the capital, to which 4,000 guests, including atas, were invited.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
For anyone facing the need to plan for death, the biggest challenge is the mindset shift required.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
That mindset seemed to work best for me.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
“It’s funny, ‘cause I’ve had people recognize me, but majority of the time, their mindsets are on real estate.”
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
The company apparently got ahead of demand for its brand in an effort to cater to investors’ growth mindsets, Moran said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
But this misunderstands the mindsets of today’s young people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
For the Athenians, tragedy offered moral lessons about leadership, justice and collective welfare, while comedy delivered irreverent critiques of politicians and popular mindsets.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2025
"When people see new kinds of stories on trans people, hopefully their mindsets will also change."
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.