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.

Still, attitudes in the sector are unaccustomedly sunny.

From Barron's

Customs and Border Protection said consumers need to adopt a “buyer beware” attitude when purchasing an item from abroad because they will be responsible for making sure it complies with state and federal import regulations.

From The Wall Street Journal

These often addressed the open-mindedness and freedom jazz requires, as in this snippet from drummer Billy Higgins: “We were of the attitude that music was music.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Perhaps the biggest trap when setting a household budget involves your attitude.

From MarketWatch

She said the blackouts wouldn’t affect her attitude about making concessions to end the war.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.