Meanings
plural mindfulnesses
- countableuncountableAwareness.
- Inclination to be mindful or aware.
- countableuncountableBuddhismPaying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally.
- countableuncountableA form of secular meditation practice with roots in Buddhist meditation.
Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Buddhist leader who introduced mindfulness to Westerners (Google got first dibs on him as a guest speaker), once said, “The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention.”
2013 November 1, David Hochman, “Mindfulness: Getting Its Share of Attention”, in The New York Times, →ISSN1 more example
This vogue is in part due to the real benefits of mindfulness, a form of attention and awareness often (but not always) achieved through meditation or yoga. It’s a trend for a reason. But its increasing application to every situation under the sun has some people concerned.
2014 June 30, Anna North, “The Mindfulness Backlash”, in New York Times Op-Talk
Synonyms & antonyms
antonym(s) of
nounthe trait of staying aware of (paying close attention to) your responsibilities
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 正念, 注意
- 正念 (zhèngniàn)paying attention on purpose in the present moment
- 注意 (zhùyì)inclination to be mindful or aware
- 留意 (liúyì)inclination to be mindful or aware
- 正念 (zhèngniàn)inclination to be mindful or aware
Finnish tietoinen läsnäolo, läsnäolevuus
- tietoinen läsnäolopaying attention on purpose in the present moment
- läsnäolevuusinclination to be mindful or aware
French pleine conscience
- pleine consciencepaying attention on purpose in the present moment
German Achtsamkeit
- Achtsamkeitpaying attention on purpose in the present moment
Greek επιμέλεια, φροντίδα
- επιμέλεια (epiméleia)inclination to be mindful or aware
- φροντίδα (frontída)inclination to be mindful or aware
Hebrew מיינדפולנס
- מיינדפולנס (máyndfulnes)paying attention on purpose in the present moment
Hungarian éber tudatosság, tudatos jelenlét
- éber tudatosságpaying attention on purpose in the present moment
- tudatos jelenlétpaying attention on purpose in the present moment
- éber figyelempaying attention on purpose in the present moment
- tudatosságpaying attention on purpose in the present moment
- figyelmességinclination to be mindful or aware
- gondosságinclination to be mindful or aware
Indonesian kesimakan, keperhatian
- kesimakanpaying attention on purpose in the present moment
- keperhatianinclination to be mindful or aware
- kewawasaninclination to be mindful or aware
Polish uważność, uważność
- uważnośćpaying attention on purpose in the present moment
- uważnośćinclination to be mindful or aware
Russian внима́тельность, внима́тельность
- внима́тельность (vnimátelʹnostʹ)paying attention on purpose in the present moment
- внима́тельность (vnimátelʹnostʹ)inclination to be mindful or aware
- ма́йндфулнес (májndfulnes)inclination to be mindful or aware
Spanish atención plena
- atención plenapaying attention on purpose in the present moment
Swedish medveten närvaro, mindfulness
- medveten närvaropaying attention on purpose in the present moment
- mindfulnesspaying attention on purpose in the present moment
- omtänksamhetinclination to be mindful or aware
- vakenhetinclination to be mindful or aware
- uppmärksamhetinclination to be mindful or aware
Cite this entry
mindfulness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mindfulness
“mindfulness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mindfulness. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mindfulness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mindfulness.
Source: mindfulness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.