siege mentality

noun

: a defensive or overly fearful attitude

Examples of siege mentality in a Sentence

Living in a high-crime area can create a siege mentality.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The United States must drop its siege mentality on immigration and start to understand it as a complex regional problem. Shannon K. O’Neil, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 With prominent First Amendment lawyers declaring that Dominion had an exceptionally strong case, a siege mentality appeared to set in. Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 27 May 2023 Amid a rash of brazen burglaries this year, some San Francisco residents are adopting a siege mentality. Anna Buchmann, SFChronicle.com, 24 Dec. 2020 The new revelations remind us of the academic squabbling, pettiness, and biases that pervade many areas of science, and the existence of a siege mentality among some of the top echelons that works to paper over differences and uncertainties. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 25 Nov. 2011 See all Example Sentences for siege mentality 

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of siege mentality was in 1953

Dictionary Entries Near siege mentality

Cite this Entry

“Siege mentality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/siege%20mentality. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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