Attitude

show attitude

I’m afraid our nephew has turned out to be a greedy, self-centered young man. His attitude shows a complete disregard for his family and others.

take attitude

I’ve always taken a fairly easygoing attitude towards bringing up my children. Children need freedom to develop and make their own mistakes.

typify attitude

John’s total lack of interest in the general election typifies the attitude of many young people today.

shape attitude

What do you think influences our attitudes to marriage? I think our experiences in childhood shape our attitudes to marriage and family life.

change attitude

This book examines how attitudes to sex in Britain have changed since the end of the Second World War.

harden attitude

Attitudes towards the US have hardened as a result of the recent accidental bombing of civilians.

understand attitude

I don’t understand your attitude. Why don’t you like Ken? Everyone else thinks he’s a great guy.

negative attitude

A meal with Greg can be really depressing. He’s got such a negative attitude to everything.

relaxed attitude

The teachers in this school seem to have a very relaxed attitude to discipline. I thought they’d be much stricter.

right attitude

You can make a career in sales and marketing, but only if you have the right attitude.

aggressive attitude

Why do football fans cause so much trouble? They’ve got such an aggressive attitude to everything.

insular attitude

Many US newspapers contain very little international news. This is just one sign of the insular attitudes of Americans.

patronizing attitude

He obviously thinks he’s so much better than me, but his patronizing attitude is beginning to irritate me immensely.

laid-back attitude

My boss is so relaxed but so efficient. I’ve never seen her get worried by anything. She’s got such a laid-back attitude towards work.

devil-may-care attitude

He’s the most exciting tennis player of the decade. His devil-may-care attitude means he takes the kind of risks nobody else would.

slap-dash attitude

Our son’s a bit too slap-dash in his attitude to schoolwork. He usually does it while he watches television. It’s no surprise that his examination results are so poor.

holier-than-thou attitude

My mother-in-law is always disapproving and saying that she would never do this or that. She thinks she’s so morally superior. I can’t stand people with such holier-than-thou attitudes.

happy-go-lucky attitude

My brother just accepts whatever happens to him and says he never thinks about the future. He’s got such a happy-go-lucky attitude to everything.

Notes   

Note that attitude is followed by to or towards:

• I find his attitude towards women hard to take.
• I find his whole attitude to his work unacceptable.

Note these noun phrases with ‘attitude’:

• There’s been a noticeable change in attitude towards head office in recent months.
• Some people believe that how old you feel is just an attitude of mind.

A complacent attitude is when you stop trying to improve or change things:

• Lack of competition led to a complacent attitude in both management and the workforce.

Entrenched attitudes are ones that people have had for a long time and are unlikely to change:

• It will be difficult to change the deeply entrenched attitudes of some of the older union members.

Gung-ho attitudes are usually over-enthusiastic and politically inappropriate:

• The Prime Minister’s gung-ho attitude was not appropriate for such delicate negotiations.