Attitude Definition & Meaning

American

British

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms attitude American [at-i-tood, -tyood] / ˈæt ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /

noun

1. manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind.

   a negative attitude; group attitudes.

2. position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc..

   a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude.

3. Aeronautics. the inclination of the three principal axes of an aircraft relative to the wind, to the ground, etc.

4. Ballet. a pose in which the dancer stands on one leg, the other bent behind.

attitude British / ˈætɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. the way a person views something or tends to behave towards it, often in an evaluative way

2. a theatrical pose created for effect (esp in the phrase strike an attitude )

3. a position of the body indicating mood or emotion

4. informal a hostile manner

   don't give me attitude, my girl

5. the orientation of an aircraft's axes in relation to some plane, esp the horizontal See also axis 1

6. the orientation of a spacecraft in relation to its direction of motion

7. ballet a classical position in which the body is upright and one leg raised and bent behind

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See position.

Other Word Forms

• attitudinal adjective

Etymology

Origin of attitude

First recorded in 1660–70; from French, from Italian attitudine, from Late Latin aptitūdini- (stem of aptitūdō ); aptitude

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.

"What I want from my players is what I'm seeing, commitment, attitude, mentality, knowing that to win each game quality is not enough, consistency is key... we will work on that."

From Barron's

Personal resources such as strong social support, a sense of control, and positive attitudes toward aging can help reduce stress and protect well-being.

From Science Daily

More than two decades later, watching Heated Rivalry inspired Kortuem to come out as gay, believing it shows attitudes within the sport have shifted for the better.

From BBC

“I don’t know if you understand language, but if you do, may I say that you should rethink your attitude to dental hygiene?”

From Literature

The man standing in front of me is also sprawling, the man my brother refers to as “Colonel,” and carries the attitude to prove it.

From Literature

Related Words

• angle
• approach
• belief
• demeanor
• mindset
• mood
• notion
• outlook
• perspective
• philosophy
• point of view
• position
• posture
• reaction
• sentiment
• slant
• stance
• stand
• standpoint
• temperament

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.