at ‧ ti ‧ tude S2 W1 AC /ˈætətjuːd, ˈætɪtjuːd $ -tuːd/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ attitude ; adjective : ↑ attitudinal ]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: French ; Origin: Late Latin aptitudo 'fitness' , from Latin aptus ; ⇨ ↑ apt ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] the opinions and feelings that you usually have about something, especially when this is shown in your behaviour:
As soon as they found out I was a doctor, their whole attitude changed.
attitude to/towards
The people have a very positive attitude to life.
2 . [uncountable] informal a style of dressing, behaving etc that shows you have the confidence to do unusual and exciting things without caring what other people think
with attitude
a coat with attitude
—attitudinal /ˌætəˈtjuːd ə nəl, ˌætɪˈtjuːd ə nəl $ -ˈtuː-/ adjective
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ good/bad
a lazy student with a bad attitude
▪ positive/negative
A positive attitude is essential if you want to be successful.
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Many teenagers have a very negative attitude towards cooking.
▪ relaxed
On Bali, there is a healthier, more relaxed attitude to life.
▪ favourable (=having a good opinion of something or someone)
Older people tend to have a favourable attitude to the police.
▪ critical (=showing you disagree with or disapprove of someone or something)
People’s attitude towards US foreign policy has become increasingly critical.
▪ ambivalent (=not sure if you approve of something)
The public have a rather ambivalent attitude towards science.
▪ cavalier (=very careless, especially about something serious or important)
his cavalier attitude to the truth
▪ patronizing/condescending (=showing that you think you are more important or intelligent than someone)
complaints about patronising attitudes towards women
▪ aggressive/hostile (=showing anger)
Their attitude suddenly became more aggressive.
▪ public attitudes/people’s attitudes
Public attitudes have changed.
▪ political attitudes
a survey of people’s political attitudes
▪ mental attitude
There is a strong connection between health and mental attitude.
▪ sb’s whole attitude
His whole attitude seemed different.
▪ the general attitude
His general attitude to our situation was unsympathetic.
■ verbs
▪ have/take/adopt an attitude
Not everyone takes a positive attitude towards modern art.
▪ sb’s attitude changes
As you get older, your attitude changes.
▪ an attitude exists
This attitude no longer exists in the church.
▪ sb’s attitude hardens (=they feel less sympathy and they want to be stricter or firmer)
People’s attitudes towards sex offenders have hardened.
■ phrases
▪ an attitude of mind British English (=a way of thinking)
Being young is simply an attitude of mind.
▪ somebody has an attitude problem (=someone is not helpful or pleasant to be with)
Some of the male students have a real attitude problem.
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THESAURUS
▪ opinion what you think about something or someone:
People didn’t usually ask his opinion about anything.
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She has rather a low opinion of young people.
▪ view your opinion about a serious or important issue:
She has strong views about education.
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In my view, footballers are paid too much.
▪ point of view your opinion, especially when this is influenced by the situation you are in:
From a farmer’s point of view, foxes are a nuisance.
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It all depends on your point of view.
▪ position the official opinion of a government, political party, or someone in authority:
The Prime Minister has made his position perfectly clear.
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The party has changed its position on nuclear weapons.
▪ attitude your opinions and feelings about something or someone, especially when this shows in your behaviour:
My parents and I have very different attitudes to life.
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It was his attitude to women that shocked me.
▪ school of thought an opinion that one group of people have about a subject, especially when this is different from that of another group:
There is one school of thought that says that coffee is addictive and is therefore a bad thing.
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There are two schools of thought on this.