Adjacent Words

Attitude definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AT'TITUDE, n. [L. actus, ago.
1. In painting and sculpture, the posture or action in which a figure or statue is placed; the gesture of a figure or statue; such a disposition of the parts as serves to express the action and sentiments of the person represented.
2. Posture; position of things or persons; as, in times of trouble let the prince or a nation preserve a firm attitude.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways; "he had the attitude that work was fun" [syn: attitude, mental attitude]
2: the arrangement of the body and its limbs; "he assumed an attitude of surrender" [syn: position, posture, attitude]
3: a theatrical pose created for effect; "the actor struck just the right attitude"
4: position of aircraft or spacecraft relative to a frame of reference (the horizon or direction of motion)

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: French, from Italian attitudine, literally, aptitude, from Late Latin aptitudin-, aptitudo fitness — more at aptitude Date: 1668 1. the arrangement of the parts of a body or figure ; posture 2. a position assumed for a specific purpose <a threatening attitude> 3. a ballet position similar to the arabesque in which the raised leg is bent at the knee 4. a. a mental position with regard to a fact or state <a helpful attitude> b. a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state 5. the position of an aircraft or spacecraft determined by the relationship between its axes and a reference datum (as the horizon or a particular star) 6. an organismic state of readiness to respond in a characteristic way to a stimulus (as an object, concept, or situation) 7. a. a negative or hostile state of mind b. a cool, cocky, defiant, or arrogant manner

U.S. Military Dictionary

(*) The position of a body as determined by the inclination of the axes to some frame of reference. If not otherwise specified, this frame of reference is fixed to the Earth.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a a settled opinion or way of thinking. b behaviour reflecting this (I don't like his attitude). 2 a a bodily posture. b a pose adopted in a painting or a play, esp. for dramatic effect (strike an attitude). 3 the position of an aircraft, spacecraft, etc., in relation to specified directions. Phrases and idioms: attitude of mind a settled way of thinking. Derivatives: attitudinal adj. Etymology: F f. It. attitudine fitness, posture, f. LL aptitudo -dinis f. aptus fit

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Attitude At"ti*tude, n. [It. attitudine, LL. aptitudo, fr. L. aptus suited, fitted: cf. F. attitude. Cf. Aptitude.] 1. (Paint. & Sculp.) The posture, action, or disposition of a figure or a statue. 2. 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; as, a threatening attitude; an attitude of entreaty. 3. Fig.: Position as indicating action, feeling, or mood; as, in times of trouble let a nation preserve a firm attitude; one's mental attitude in respect to religion. The attitude of the country was rapidly changing. --J. R. Green. To strike an attitude, to take an attitude for mere effect. Syn: Attitude, Posture. Usage: Both of these words describe the visible disposition of the limbs. Posture relates to their position merely; attitude refers to their fitness for some specific object. The object of an attitude is to set forth exhibit some internal feeling; as, attitude of wonder, of admiration, of grief, etc. It is, therefore, essentially and designedly expressive. Its object is the same with that of gesture; viz., to hold forth and represent. Posture has no such design. If we speak of posture in prayer, or the posture of devotion, it is only the natural disposition of the limbs, without any intention to show forth or exhibit. 'T is business of a painter in his choice of attitudes (positur[ae]) to foresee the effect and harmony of the lights and shadows. --Dryden. Never to keep the body in the same posture half an hour at a time. --Bacon.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(attitudes) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Your attitude to something is the way that you think and feel about it, especially when this shows in the way you behave. ...the general change in attitude towards handicapped people... His attitude made me angry... N-VAR: usu with supp, oft N to/towards n 2. If you refer to someone as a person with attitude, you mean that they have a striking and individual style of behaviour, especially a forceful or aggressive one. (JOURNALISM)

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Posture (with reference to the expression of some sentiment), position, pose. 2. Situation, aspect, phase, standing, state, condition, posture, position, predicament, conjuncture, juncture. 3. Relation, bearing, condition of mind, state of feeling.

Moby Thesaurus

air, approach, aspect, assumption, azimuth, bearing, bearings, bent, bias, carriage, celestial navigation, climate of opinion, color, common belief, community sentiment, conceit, concept, conception, conclusion, consensus gentium, consideration, dead reckoning, demeanor, disposition, estimate, estimation, ethos, exposure, eye, feeling, fix, frontage, general belief, idea, impression, inclination, judgment, lay, leaning, lie, lights, line of position, mind, mystique, notion, observation, opinion, orientation, personal judgment, pilotage, point of view, popular belief, port, pose, position, position line, posture, predilection, prejudice, prepossession, presence, presumption, prevailing belief, public belief, public opinion, radio bearing, reaction, sentiment, set, sight, stance, stand, tendency, theory, thinking, thought, view, viewpoint, way of thinking