attitude

attitude — noun

1. your inner view of a person, group, or topic — both your beliefs and your emotio

1.nounB1
Definition

your inner view of a person, group, or topic — both your beliefs and your emotional reaction to it — which often shows in how you behave around it; for example, being friendly, doubtful, or supportive about climate change or your boss.

Example

Rohan has a very positive attitude towards learning Mandarin.

attitude towards + noun (positive/negative)

The factory workers complained about the manager's cold attitude.

adjective + attitude

Common collocations
  • positive attitude
  • negative attitude
  • change your attitude
  • attitude towards life
Synonyms
  • outlook

    broader and more general; how you view life or the future, not one topic

  • stance

    more formal; suggests a publicly stated position, often political

  • viewpoint

    stresses the opinion itself, less about feelings or behaviour

Grammar Patterns

attitude to/towards + noun

attitude of + noun

Usage Note

Frequently followed by to or towards plus the topic or person. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the inner view (good or bad), while sense 2 specifically means rude or cocky behaviour.

Common Mistakes

My attitude about the plan is good.
My attitude towards the plan is positive.
use 'towards/to', and pair with 'positive/negative', not 'good/bad'.

2. a bold, slightly rude manner that signals you do not respect others much and pre

2.nounB2
Definition

a bold, slightly rude manner that signals you do not respect others much and prefer your own style — heard when teenagers talk back to parents, or used to praise singers and athletes who perform with strong, defiant personality.

Example

The new waiter has a real attitude when customers ask for the bill.

have + attitude (informal: act rudely)

Don't give me attitude, Jamal — just clean your room.

give + somebody + attitude (talk back)

Common collocations
  • have an attitude
  • give someone attitude
  • attitude problem
  • with attitude
Synonyms
  • cheek

    British informal; rude talk to someone older or in charge

  • swagger

    more about a confident walk or look than rude speech

  • sass

    American informal; clever back-talk, often from children

Antonyms
  • respect

    polite behaviour that recognises the other person's status

Grammar Patterns

have/give + attitude

with attitude

Usage Note

Always uncountable in this sense and usually carries a negative tone, except in fashion or music writing where 'with attitude' praises bold style. Distinguish from sense 1: here you cannot add 'towards X' — the rudeness is general, not aimed at one topic.

Common Mistakes

She has an attitude towards her teacher.
She has an attitude with her teacher.
for the 'rude' sense, drop 'towards'; that pattern belongs to sense 1.

3. the angle at which a plane, rocket, or spacecraft is tilted in the air, measured

3.noun
Definition

the angle at which a plane, rocket, or spacecraft is tilted in the air, measured against the horizon, the ground, or a fixed star — pilots check this on a special instrument to know if the nose is pointing up, down, or sideways.

Example

The pilot checked the plane's attitude before starting the descent into Taipei.

attitude (aviation: pitch and roll angle)

Engineers adjusted the satellite's attitude using small thrusters.

spacecraft attitude + adjust/control

Common collocations
  • aircraft attitude
  • attitude indicator
  • nose-up attitude
  • control the attitude
Synonyms
  • orientation

    more general; can mean any direction in space, not only an aircraft's tilt

  • pitch

    narrower; only the up-down angle of the nose, not side tilt

Usage Note

Technical aviation and aerospace term, almost never used outside flight, military, or space contexts. Pilots also use 'attitude indicator' for the instrument that shows this. Distinguish from sense 4: this sense is about a vehicle in the air, not a human body.

4. the way someone is holding their body at one moment — for example, kneeling in p

4.noun
Definition

the way someone is holding their body at one moment — for example, kneeling in prayer, lying flat on the floor, or standing with arms crossed. Used in formal writing, art descriptions, and yoga or dance manuals.

Example

The old man sat in an attitude of prayer beside the temple gate.

in an attitude of + abstract noun

The painting shows three soldiers frozen in defensive attitudes.

frozen in + adjective + attitudes

Common collocations
  • attitude of prayer
  • defensive attitude
  • graceful attitude
  • frozen in an attitude
Synonyms
  • posture

    everyday word; normal habitual way of holding the body, not a single moment

  • pose

    usually short and held on purpose, often for a camera

  • stance

    the way feet and legs are placed, especially in sports or fighting

Grammar Patterns

in a/an + adjective + attitude

Usage Note

Formal and somewhat literary. In everyday English, 'position' or 'posture' is more natural. Distinguish from sense 5: this sense names the body position itself, while sense 5 is the act of striking such a position to look impressive.

5. a body position you take on purpose so that other people will notice a feeling o

5.noun
Definition

a body position you take on purpose so that other people will notice a feeling or quality — for example, raising a fist to look brave, or lowering the head to seem sad on stage.

Example

The actor struck a heroic attitude as the curtain rose.

strike + adjective + attitude (theatrical)

Sami adopted a thoughtful attitude for the family portrait.

adopt + adjective + attitude

Common collocations
  • strike an attitude
  • adopt an attitude
  • heroic attitude
  • theatrical attitude
Synonyms
  • pose

    more common everyday word for the same idea

  • stance

    stresses the legs and feet; common in sports and combat

Grammar Patterns

strike/adopt + a + adjective + attitude

Usage Note

Strongly tied to theatre, dance, painting, and ballet. Distinguish from sense 4: sense 4 simply describes how the body happens to be arranged, while sense 5 stresses that the person took the position deliberately to send a message.

Idioms

strike an attitude

idiom

to suddenly stand or sit in a clear, dramatic body position so that people watching will see a strong feeling — often used in theatre, photographs, or when someone is showing off.

The young actor struck an attitude of deep sorrow at the end of Act Two.

Nina struck a confident attitude before the photographer pressed the button.

strike a pose/an attitude

idiom

To position your body in a specific way to give a certain impression.

Maya struck a confident pose before her job interview.

Did you see Diego strike an attitude of cool indifference?

Word family

  • attitudinal
    adjectiveC2
  • attitudinise
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe what someone thinks about a topic, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Attitude' is the everyday word and covers both feelings and the behaviour they cause, as in 'a positive attitude towards exercise'. 'Outlook' is wider and longer-term — it usually concerns life, the future, or whole situations rather than one issue ('a cheerful outlook on life'). 'Stance' sounds formal and is common in news or politics, suggesting a position someone has chosen to defend in public ('the party's stance on tax cuts'). 'Viewpoint' focuses on the angle from which someone sees a topic, with less emotion attached. 'Opinion' is the most neutral — a single judgement, often offered when asked. Compare: 'her attitude towards meat is judgemental,' 'her outlook is hopeful,' 'her stance is firm,' and 'her opinion is that meat should be taxed.'

attitude ↗outlook ↗stance ↗viewpoint ↗opinion ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • attitude problem
  • attitude survey
  • change of attitude
  • attitude of mind

Adverbs

Phrases

  • have an attitude
  • change your attitude
  • with a positive attitude
  • adopt an attitude

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinItalianFrenchEnglish

First used in English in the late 1600s as a term in painting and sculpture for the way a figure's body was placed. It came through French 'attitude' from Italian 'attitudine', meaning fitness or posture, which itself goes back to Late Latin 'aptitudo', from 'aptus' meaning fit or suited. The mental sense — a settled feeling or opinion — grew out of the bodily sense in the 1800s, since the body's pose was seen as a sign of inner feeling. The newest meaning, the rude or cocky 'attitude' heard in everyday speech, became popular in American English in the 1960s.