Mental describes anything related to the mind or thinking. When you solve a math problem in your head without writing anything down, you're doing mental math. When a doctor talks about mental health, they mean the wellness of your thoughts, emotions, and psychological state, just as physical health refers to your body.

Your mental abilities include memory, reasoning, imagination, and concentration. A chess player needs strong mental focus to plan moves ahead. Reading a challenging book requires mental effort. When you picture your bedroom in your mind, you're creating a mental image.

People sometimes use mental to describe activities that happen entirely in your thoughts. A mental note is something you try to remember without writing it down. A mental calculation happens when you figure out that four friends splitting a twenty-dollar pizza each owe five dollars, all without using paper or a calculator.

The word can also describe someone's state of mind or psychological condition. Mental toughness means staying determined when things get difficult. Psychologists study mental processes to understand how people think, learn, and remember. Scientists have discovered that keeping your mind active with puzzles, reading, and learning new skills helps support good mental health throughout life, just as exercise supports physical health.