Learning / English Dictionary |
ATTITUDE
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A theatrical pose created for effect
Example:
the actor struck just the right attitude
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("attitude" is a kind of...):
affectation; affectedness; mannerism; pose (a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display)
Derivation:
attitudinise; attitudinize (assume certain affected attitudes)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The arrangement of the body and its limbs
Example:
he assumed an attitude of surrender
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("attitude" is a kind of...):
bodily property (an attribute of the body)
Attribute:
erect; upright; vertical (upright in position or posture)
unerect (not upright in position or posture)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attitude"):
tuck ((sports) a bodily position adopted in some sports (such as diving or skiing) in which the knees are bent and the thighs are drawn close to the chest)
stance (standing posture)
sprawl; sprawling (an ungainly posture with arms and legs spread about)
guard (a posture of defence in boxing or fencing)
asana ((Hinduism) a posture or manner of sitting (as in the practice of yoga))
ectopia (abnormal position of a part or organ (especially at the time of birth))
presentation ((obstetrics) position of the fetus in the uterus relative to the birth canal)
pose (a posture assumed by models for photographic or artistic purposes)
missionary position (a position for sexual intercourse; a man and woman lie facing each other with the man on top; so-called because missionaries thought it the proper position for primitive peoples)
lotus position (a sitting position with the legs crossed; used in yoga)
lithotomy position (a position lying on your back with knees bent and thighs apart; assumed for vaginal or rectal examination)
eversion (the position of being turned outward)
decubitus (a reclining position (as in a bed))
ballet position (classical position of the body and especially the feet in ballet)
order arms (a position in the manual of arms; the rifle is held vertically on the right side with the butt on the ground; often used as a command)
Derivation:
attitudinise (assume certain affected attitudes)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
Example:
he had the attitude that work was fun
Synonyms:
attitude; mental attitude
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("attitude" is a kind of...):
cognition; knowledge; noesis (the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attitude"):
orientation (an integrated set of attitudes and beliefs)
irreverence (an irreverent mental attitude)
reverence (a reverent mental attitude)
disrespect (a disrespectful mental attitude)
esteem; regard; respect (an attitude of admiration or esteem)
intolerance (unwillingness to recognize and respect differences in opinions or beliefs)
tolerance (willingness to recognize and respect the beliefs or practices of others)
disposition; inclination; tendency (an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others)
position; posture; stance (a rationalized mental attitude)
paternalism (the attitude (of a person or a government) that subordinates should be controlled in a fatherly way for their own good)
mentality; mind-set; mindset; outlook (a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations)
southernism (an attitude characteristic of Southerners (especially in the US))
high horse (an attitude of arrogant superiority)
hardball (a no-nonsense attitude in business or politics)
defensive; defensive attitude (an attitude of defensiveness (especially in the phrase 'on the defensive'))
culture (the attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization)
acceptance; credence (the mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Position of aircraft or spacecraft relative to a frame of reference (the horizon or direction of motion)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas
Hypernyms ("attitude" is a kind of...):
orientation (position or alignment relative to points of the compass or other specific directions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "attitude"):
trim (attitude of an aircraft in flight when allowed to take its own orientation)
Context examples:
Having to do with the deeper questions of life and with a person’s basic beliefs, ideas, and attitudes.
(Philosophical, NCI Dictionary)
The attitude that grants freedom of expression and activity to another individual, but not necessarily with sanction or approval.
(Permissiveness, Behavior, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
A habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how a person will interpret and respond to situations.
(Outlook, NCI Thesaurus)
A manner of living that reflects the person's values and attitudes.
(Lifestyle, NCI Thesaurus)
In one corner, near a small fire, sat an old man, leaning his head on his hands in a disconsolate attitude.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
There I lay on my elbows in the most trying attitude, and every now and again gave a weak stroke or two to turn her head to shore.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
When Lord Avon had left him, the captain remained for some time in a kneeling attitude, with his face sunk upon a chair.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
He relapsed at once into the half-humorous, half-cynical vein which was his habitual attitude to those about him.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Knowledge, attitudes, and associated behaviors which pertain to health-related events such as procedures, diseases, or family planning.
(Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
The consideration of knowledge, attitude, or behavior as variables in disease processes such as incident, transmission, and control.
(Knowledge, Attitudes, Behaviors, NCI Thesaurus)