Health / B1

MENTL/ˈmentl/

Mental is about the mind: mental health; mental illness; a mental arithmetic test. Physical is the body pair. Psychiatric is more medical. Do not use mental as an informal insult — it is offensive. Mental health services is the UK public phrase. Mentally is the adverb.

Meaning

Connected with the mind, not the body.

Examples

• “The charity campaigns for better mental health services.”
• “The college improved its mental health support after the survey.”
• “Mental arithmetic is done without a calculator, which is the “in the head” sense.”

Good to know

mental health / illness. Pair: physical. More medical: psychiatric. Do not use as an insult. Adverb: mentally.

Topics

New