Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

crab mentality

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.46 in modern English

Syllables
crab -men-tal-i-ty
IPA
22
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
5
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A phenomenon in which a person or a group of people attempt to hinder the progress or success of others, even if such success does not directly affect their own well-being.

Etymology

From the metaphor in which a pot of crabs, one crab attempts to escape over the side, but is relentlessly pulled down by the others in the pot.

Inflected Forms

crab mentalities (plural)

Phrases

dog in the manger tall poppy syndrome

Frequently Paired Words

dog in the manger tall poppy syndrome

Synonyms

crab bucket syndrome

Questions

What does crab mentality mean?
A phenomenon in which a person or a group of people attempt to hinder the progress or success of others, even if such success does not directly affect their own well-being.
Where does crab mentality come from?
From the metaphor in which a pot of crabs, one crab attempts to escape over the side, but is relentlessly pulled down by the others in the pot.

How to pronounce crab mentality

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “crab mentality”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “crab mentality”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “crab mentality” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.