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Glite Dictionary
in someone's right mind

in someone's right mind

5.6
Thinking and acting in a sensible, normal way
  • idiom
translation icon : en su sano juicio
  • No one in his right mind would ignore the warning signs.

Examples

Synonyms

sane
vsin someone's right mind
119 3.2

Having a healthy mind and able to think clearly

is about acting and thinking sensibly in everyday behaviour rather than medical status
in her right mind
vsin someone's right mind
15 4.6

Thinking clearly and acting sensibly

is the neutral general form not tied to a specific gender
of sound mind
vsin someone's right mind
  • Formal
9 6.5

Able to think clearly and make decisions

is the everyday sense of sensible thinking and behaviour not only legal fitness
in his right mind
vsin someone's right mind
7 4.6

Thinking and acting in a sensible, normal way

is the neutral general form not tied to a specific gender
in their right minds
vsin someone's right mind
  • Informal
6 4.5

Thinking clearly and acting responsibly

is the singular generic expression rather than a plural person reference
clear-thinking
vsin someone's right mind
3 4.2

Able to think calmly and logically without confusion or distraction

is a broader idea of stable sanity and sensible behaviour not only clear thought

Antonyms

insane
  • Slur
524 4.0

Having a very serious mental illness that changes how someone thinks

irrational
192 4.4

Not based on clear reason or thinking

How Sane

of sound mind
  • Formal
9 6.5
in someone's right mind
5.6
irrational
192 4.4
mentally ill
  • Vulgar
77 3.4

Surface Forms

in someone's right mind main

Morphology

in + someone's + right + mind

The overall meaning 'sane' is partially inferable from the parts because 'mind' (thinking faculty) combined with 'right' in the sense of 'proper/correct' suggests a proper or sound mental state. However, the collocation is conventionalized and the adjective 'right' has multiple senses (e.g. moral, correct) so a B1 learner who knows the words may not reliably map it to 'sane' without prior exposure; cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. 'sound mind') help but do not make it fully transparent.

Etymology

In someone's right mind comes from the simple image that being in the right (correct) mind means having proper, clear thinking. So, if someone is in their right mind it means they are 'sane' or thinking clearly.