What does mantra mean?
A mantra is originally a sacred formula repeated during prayer, meditation, or ritual, where its recurrence helps focus attention or express devotion. In contemporary English, the word has broadened to refer to a slogan, guiding principle, or phrase repeated so often that it functions as a personal motto. Examples include a meditation mantra and a business mantra about innovation. The figurative sense can be encouraging, suggesting a concise principle that guides action, but it can also imply that a complex issue is being reduced to a catchphrase. The word is used in both British and American English and appears especially often in discussions of spirituality, self-improvement, and branding. Its interesting history lies in the shift from religious practice to popular motivational language.
nounA sacred or solemn formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or ritual, often serving as a focus for devotion or concentration. In modern usage, the word can also mean a slogan, principle, or phrase repeated so often that it becomes a guiding motto.
- A sacred or solemn formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or ritual.
- A short phrase or statement used repeatedly as a focus for concentration or motivation.
- A slogan, principle, or belief that is repeated so often that it becomes a personal motto.
"She repeated the mantra silently as she worked through her anxiety."
"The congregation chanted the mantra in a low, steady rhythm."
"For many entrepreneurs, “move fast and learn quickly” has become a kind of personal mantra."
The plural is formed by adding -s and is used for multiple sacred formulas, repeated phrases, or guiding slogans.
"The meditation combined several mantras with slow breathing."
From Sanskrit for “thinking” or “recitation,” the mantra began as a sacred formula and later became a modern shorthand for a belief repeated until it feels self-evident.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mantra come from?
The English word comes from Sanskrit mantra, meaning a formula or sacred utterance, ultimately associated with the Indo-European root *men-, meaning “to think” or “to remember.” In early Sanskrit usage, a mantra was a formula of invocation or meditation associated with a deity or ritual. The word entered English during the 19th century, initially in translations and discussions of Indian religion, and its modern figurative use developed later to describe repeated slogans and guiding principles.
Related word forms
How mantra is actually used
The word is fully established in standard English and is especially common in discussions of spirituality, meditation, wellness, branding, and personal motivation. In figurative use, “mantra” can sound approving when it describes a useful guiding principle, but it may sound dismissive when it describes an unsupported slogan repeated without scrutiny.
Easily confused with mantra
A mantra is a repeated formula or guiding phrase, whereas a mantle is a cloak or a layer that covers or supports something.