presence of mind
9
4.6
- noun
- /ˈprɛzəns əv maɪnd/
- Informal
:
presencia de ánimo
- In a crisis, having the presence of mind to stay calm can save lives.
It's about having the attention to think that way and the presence of mind to problem solve.
- It's about having the attention to think that way and the presence of mind to problem solve.
- And then she hears this pretty evil voice and she had real presence of mind.
- And if you are in a place where you have the presence of mind, the awareness to see that and heed that, then that process compounds upon itself.
- And it takes courage and presence of mind to kind of pause for a moment and say, OK, yes, but also I need to do this for myself long term.
- If you can develop the acuity, the presence of mind and the wherewithal to then take that next step.
- This guy has the presence of mind to say.
- You're trying to deal with your presence of mind so that you can handle stressful situations.
- And that requires presence of mind and a level of self honesty and accountability.
- And I think that presence of mind and that being able to be calm, that you've laid a plan out, you've done what you've done that got you to this point.
Examples
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She showed great presence of mind by calling the police during the emergency.
-
Still, fortunately, you two have had the presence of mind to plan for your future.
-
It's about having the attention to think that way and the presence of mind to problem solve.
-
I hope he had the presence of mind to laugh.
-
Somehow, she had the presence of mind to trick him.
Fiction book (1995) -
"I'm amazed you had the presence of mind to stay in the car."
Fiction book (1995) -
Scared senseless, she still had the presence of mind to lie.
Fiction book (2001) -
A man able to spot a 1943 steel penny on dark concrete is not long without presence of mind.
Fiction book (1994) -
Well, thank goodness he had the presence of mind to screen capture the malfunctioning phone.
-
And it takes courage and presence of mind to kind of pause for a moment and say, OK, yes, but also I need to do this for myself long term.
Synonyms
8
6.1
To answer or act quickly and clearly when something unexpected happens
7
3.5
To think and react quickly when things go wrong
7
8.1
Ability to think quickly and clearly
3
6.4
Quick, clear thinking that helps you understand and decide
1
7.0
A quick and clear way of thinking
To stay alert and think quickly in difficult or unexpected situations
To think and answer quickly and correctly, especially when solving problems
The ability to think calmly and make good choices in difficult situations
Antonyms
How Composed
- Informal
9
4.6
38
5.1
7
3.5
36
2.7
272
2.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'presence' (the state of being present/alert) + 'mind' (the thinking faculty): a B1 learner who knows both words can infer that the mind is 'present' (i.e., alert), which explains the idea of remaining calm and acting quickly. This compositional logic is common cross-linguistically (e.g., French 'présence d'esprit'), so the expression is immediately comprehensible from its parts.
Etymology
Presence of mind paints a simple picture: presence means being 'there' and mind is your thinking self, so it shows your mind is right there and ready to act. That's why the phrase means being able to 'stay calm' and 'act quickly' in a sudden or unexpected situation.