What does mentalist mean?
A mentalist is a performer who creates the impression of possessing telepathic or other extraordinary mental abilities. Such an entertainer may ask spectators to select an object, guess information that has not been disclosed, or communicate silently, with the apparent impossibility heightened by observation, suggestion, and timing. The word can also have a narrower theoretical meaning: a mentalist is someone who practises or supports mentalism, a body of ideas concerning the mind and its relation to physical reality. In contemporary usage, however, the theatrical sense dominates. A mentalist should not be confused with an illusionist, whose work chiefly depends on physical stage tricks, nor with someone who literally reads minds, since mentalists generally produce the appearance of such an ability rather than claim it as a verifiable power.
nounA mentalist is an entertainer who creates the impression of reading minds, communicating thoughts, or performing other feats apparently achieved through mental powers. In a more specialized historical or theoretical sense, a mentalist is a practitioner or advocate of mentalism.
- An entertainer who performs acts intended to appear telepathic or to involve supernormal mental abilities.
- A practitioner, advocate, or theorist of mentalism, especially in a historical or philosophical context.
"The mentalist asked the audience to choose a card and then appeared to reveal it through an act of apparent telepathy."
"The mentalist entertained the crowd with a series of telepathy-style illusions."
"Her interest in the philosophy of mind led her to study the writings of early mentalists."
The plural is used for multiple performers or, in the older theoretical sense, multiple practitioners or advocates of mentalism.
"Several mentalists presented different demonstrations of apparent thought communication."
A mentalist's apparent mind-reading usually depends on keen observation, attention, and perfectly timed misdirection.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mentalist come from?
Mentalist was formed in the 19th century from mental and the suffix -ist, meaning a person who practises or specializes in something. The adjective mental ultimately comes through French from Latin mentalis, a derivative of mens, meaning “mind” or “reason”; mention and mentation belong to the same broad Latin family. The earliest sense of mentalist referred to a theorist or practitioner of mentalism, while the entertainment sense developed from that history.
Related word forms
How mentalist is actually used
In modern entertainment, the term normally refers to a stage performer whose act simulates mind-reading, prediction, or thought communication. The older sense, denoting someone who studies or practices mentalism, is less common and may suggest a historical or theoretical context.
Easily confused with mentalist
A mentalist specializes in acts that seem to involve telepathy or other mental powers, whereas an illusionist primarily relies on stage magic and physical deception.
Mentalism is a theory or practice concerning the relationship between the mind and physical reality; a mentalist is a person who performs, advocates, or studies that theory.