mind reading

A scientist uses a mind reading device to see a volunteer's thoughts.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The ability to discern another person's thoughts without any form of communication: "mind reading" refers to the supposed or actual capacity to know what someone else is thinking, often associated with psychic phenomena or deep empathy.
   • A form of mentalism or magic trick: In performance arts, "mind reading" is a staged act where a performer appears to guess or reveal a person's thoughts through trickery or psychological techniques.

Usage Examples

• (The alleged ability to know others' thoughts.)
• (A performance that simulates thought detection.)
• (Understanding unspoken thoughts through empathy.)

Advanced Usage

• "to engage in mind reading": to attempt to guess another's thoughts, often in a social or psychological context.

  • He tried mind reading during the game, but his guesses were mostly wrong. (He attempted to discern others' thoughts without evidence.)

• "mind reading as a cognitive bias": the mistaken belief that one knows what another person is thinking, often leading to misunderstandings.

  • Her habit of mind reading caused arguments because she assumed his intentions. (A flawed assumption about someone's thoughts.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mind-reader (noun): a person who claims or performs the act of mind reading.

  • The mind-reader on stage amazed the crowd with her apparent ability. (A performer of mentalism.)

• Mind-reading (adjective): relating to or characteristic of the act of reading thoughts.

  • The mind-reading trick required intense concentration. (Pertaining to the performance or ability.)

Synonyms

• Telepathy: the direct communication of thoughts from one mind to another without sensory input.
• Thought detection: the act of identifying someone's thoughts through intuition or analysis.

Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms

• Read someone's mind: to know what someone is thinking without being told.

  • You seem to read my mind; I was just about to ask for water. (You guessed my thought accurately.)

• Mind over matter: the use of willpower to overcome physical obstacles, sometimes linked to mental feats like mind reading.

  • With mind over matter, she believed she could achieve mind reading. (Mental control over physical reality.)