Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A manner of thinking, feeling, or behaving that reflects a state of mind or disposition.
- noun Arrogant or aggressive disposition or behavior.
- noun A position of the body or manner of carrying oneself: synonym: posture.
- noun A position similar to an arabesque in which a ballet dancer stands on one leg with the other raised either in front or in back and bent at the knee.
- noun The orientation of an aircraft's axes relative to a reference line or plane, such as the horizon.
- noun The orientation of a spacecraft relative to its direction of motion.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Posture or position of the body, or the manner in which its parts are disposed; especially, a posture or position as indicating emotion, purpose, etc., or as appropriate to the performance of some act.
- noun Hence Any condition of things or relation of persons viewed as the expression of, or as affecting, feeling, opinion, intentions, etc.
- noun In geology, the particular position or relation which the land bears at any time to the ocean.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Paint. &
Sculp .) The posture, action, or disposition of a figure or a statue. - noun The posture or position of a person or an animal, or the manner in which the parts of his body are disposed; position assumed or studied to serve a purpose
- noun Fig.: Position as indicating action, feeling, or mood
- noun to take an attitude for mere effect.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
position of thebody or way ofcarrying oneself ;posture . - noun
Disposition orstate ofmind . - noun uncountable, countable A
negative ,irritating , orirritated attitude;posturing . - noun aeronautics, nautical, engineering The
orientation of avehicle or other objectrelative to thehorizon ,direction ofmotion , other objects, etc. - noun ballet A position similar to
arabesque , but with the raised leg bent at the knee. - verb To assume or to place in a particular
position ororientation ; topose . - verb To express an attitude through one's posture, bearing, tone of voice, etc.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
- noun the arrangement of the body and its limbs
- noun a theatrical pose created for effect
- noun position of aircraft or spacecraft relative to a frame of reference (the horizon or direction of motion)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Sports writers are even more left wing than political journalists, so viewing their political opinions as somehow signifying a popular shift in attitude is a mistake.
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On the Sunday morning news shows, massive change in attitude from the Dems.
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One of the major reasons for this change in attitude is that there's more money around.
USATODAY.com - Old-school guys teaching young teammates plenty 2003
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For some, it is an easy shorthand for a change in attitude from the search for growth - which largely meant industrial and material growth - toward a society whose values are less materialistic and more concerned with the quality of life and the environment.
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Thomas was the first to make fruitful use of the term attitude, which he defined as a "tendency to act."
Introduction to the Science of Sociology Robert Ezra Park 1926
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What they miss out on with this attitude is the joy that results from the effort.
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He contrasts this with "destructively arrogant," which he defines as an attitude that lacks empathy and reeks of insolence and vanity.
Richard C. Senelick, M.D.: I Don't Think Physicians Are as Arrogant as You Do M.D. Richard C. Senelick 2012
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He contrasts this with "destructively arrogant," which he defines as an attitude that lacks empathy and reeks of insolence and vanity.
Richard C. Senelick, M.D.: I Don't Think Physicians Are as Arrogant as You Do M.D. Richard C. Senelick 2012
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I think this attitude is an immense barrier to entry.
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This attitude is all the more pronounced in those who hold leadership positions in the gay rights movement, as their life's work depends upon the notion that we are always and everywhere oppressed.
Done Deal? 2009
qroqqa commented on the word attitude
You'd think this would be one of the boatloads of ambitious words that came over with William the Conqueror. But no, it's a newcomer, about 1700, from the Italian form of 'aptitude', which it replaced in its current senses.
November 18, 2008
bilby commented on the word attitude
"The geologist's point of view is that the and either has emerged from the oceanic waters or is to be again buried by them, and therefore at any particular time assumes an attitude with relation to the ocean."
January 19, 2013
hernesheir commented on the word attitude
Railway telegraphers' shorthand for the phrase "Pay particular attention to". --US Railway Association, Standard Cipher Code, 1906.
January 20, 2013