Meanings
- uncountableFocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging.
During the whole agitating scene, Lillie kept up her presence of mind, and was perfectly aware of what she was about; […]
1871, Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Wedding, and Wedding-trip”, in Pink and White Tyranny: […], Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC, page 565 more examples
[A]s you are to hear the moſt unexpected and ſurprizing thing that perhaps ever befel any Family in the VVorld, I beg you to promiſe me you vvill receive it vvith Compoſure and a Preſence of Mind ſuitable to a Man of Senſe.
1722 (indicated as 1721), [Daniel Defoe], The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. […], London: […] W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, […]; and T. Edling, […], published 1722, →OCLC, page 121[T]his magnificent palace would have infallibly been burnt down to the ground, if, by a presence of mind unusual to me, I had not suddenly thought of an expedient.
1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput)[S]he snatched a pistol from the wall, on which some fire-arms hung, and while she screamed to her father to awake, had the presence of mind to present it at the intruder.
1826, [Walter Scott], chapter VII, in Woodstock; Or, The Cavalier. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, →OCLC, page 183The Major and Captain Costigan were old soldiers and accustomed to face the enemy, so we may presume that they retained their presence of mind perfectly; but the rest of the party assembled in Cos's sitting-room were, perhaps, a little flurried at Pendennis's apparition.
1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, “Negotiation”, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume I, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849, →OCLC, page 97It speaks well for Barrett's presence of mind that he had grasped the situation and decided on his line of action before Welch went, and the Head turned his attention to him.
1902 September 18, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “In which the Affairs of Various Persons are Wound Up”, in The Pothunters, London: A[dam] & C[harles] Black, […], published 1924 (1925 printing), →OCLC, page 265Synonyms: self-possession · Antonyms: flakiness, flightiness, spaciness
Synonyms & antonyms
nounFocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging.
Origin
- Latinpraesentia animī
- Englishpresence of mind
Calque of Latin praesentia animī, from praesentia (“state of being present, presence”) + animī (the genitive singular of animus (“intellect, mind”)).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans geestesteenwoordigheid
- geestesteenwoordigheidfocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Czech duchapřítomnost
- duchapřítomnostfocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Dutch tegenwoordigheid van geest
- tegenwoordigheid van geestfocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Finnish harkintakyky, maltti
- harkintakykyfocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
- malttifocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
- mielenmalttifocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
French présence d'esprit
- présence d'espritfocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
German Geistesgegenwart
- Geistesgegenwartfocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Hungarian lélekjelenlét
- lélekjelenlétfocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Polish przytomność umysłu
- przytomność umysłufocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Portuguese presença de espírito
- presença de espíritofocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Romanian prezență de spirit
- prezență de spiritfocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Russian прису́тствие духа
- прису́тствие духа (prisútstvije duxa)focused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Spanish presencia de ánimo
- presencia de ánimofocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Swedish sinnesnärvaro
- sinnesnärvarofocused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Thai สติ
- สติ (sà-dtì)focused alertness, good sense, quick-thinking resourcefulness, or stability of feeling and thought, especially in spite of circumstances which are distracting, stressful, or otherwise challenging
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with presence of mind
Cite this entry
presence of mind. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/presence%20of%20mind
“presence of mind.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/presence%20of%20mind. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “presence of mind,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/presence%20of%20mind.
Source: presence of mind on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.