mellow

American  

[mel-oh] / ˈmɛl oʊ /

adjective

mellower, mellowest

1. soft, sweet, and full-flavored from ripeness, as fruit.

   Antonyms:

   green, raw, immature

2. well-matured, as wines.

3. soft and rich, as sound, tones, color, or light.

   Antonyms:

   harsh

4. made gentle and compassionate by age or maturity; softened.

5. friable or loamy, as soil.

6. mildly and pleasantly intoxicated or high.

7. pleasantly agreeable; free from tension, discord, etc..

   a mellow neighborhood.

8. affably relaxed; easygoing; genial.

   a mellow teacher who is very popular with her students.

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verb (used with or without object)

mellows, present (3rd person singular) mellowed, past participle, past mellowing present participle

1. to make or become mellow.

   Synonyms:

   improve, mature, develop

noun

1. Slang. a state, atmosphere, or mood of ease and gentle relaxation.

verb phrase

1. mellow out

   1. to become detached from worry, strife, stress, etc.; relax.

      After final exams let's go down to the beach and mellow out.

   2. to make more relaxed, agreeable, workable, etc.; soften or smooth.

      Chopin really mellows me out when I'm feeling tense.

mellow British  

/ ˈmɛləʊ /

adjective

1. (esp of fruits) full-flavoured; sweet; ripe

2. (esp of wines) well-matured

3. (esp of colours or sounds) soft or rich

4. kind-hearted, esp through maturity or old age

5. genial, as through the effects of alcohol

6. (of soil) soft and loamy

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verb

1. to make or become mellow; soften; mature

2. (foll by out) to become calm and relaxed or (esp of a drug) to have a calming or relaxing effect on (someone)

Usage

What does mellow mean? Mellow means soft, sweet, and full of flavor, usually in reference to ripe fruits. Mellow can also mean well matured, especially in reference to wine. Mellow can also mean soft and rich, usually in reference to sound, color, or musical tone. And mellow can describe a mild and pleasant intoxication or high. You’ll also see mellow used in reference to people. A mellow person is usually easy-going and relaxed. If they’ve mellowed over time, they’ve become more relaxed. In slang, mellow means a mood or atmosphere of relaxation. You might hear something like “Don’t harsh my mellow,” meaning “Don’t spoil my good mood.”Example: Luis became much more mellow after they left their stressful job.

Synonym Usage

See ripe.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unmellowed
  adjective
• mellowly
  adverb
• overmellowly
  adverb
• overmellowness
  noun
• unmellow
  adjective
• mellowness
  noun
• overmellow
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has mellowed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have mellowed
  perfect
• are mellowing
  progressive
• is mellowing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am mellowing
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been mellowing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been mellowing
  perfect progressive
• mellows
  singular 3rd person
• mellowing
  participle

Past

• had mellowed
  perfect
• had been mellowing
  perfect progressive
• was mellowing
  progressive singular
• were mellowing
  progressive plural
• mellowed
  participle
• mellowed
  simple

Future

• will mellow
  simple
• will have mellowed
  perfect
• will be mellowing
  progressive
• will have been mellowing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of mellow

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English mel(o)we, alteration (perhaps by dissimilation, in phrase meruw fruit ) of Middle English meruw, Old English meru “soft”

Explanation

When something becomes mellow, it gets softer or more relaxed. People are often said to mellow with age, meaning their aggressiveness, their sarcasm, and their short temper have given way to a more easygoing, genial manner. Wine and other foods mellow just like people, and can be described as "having mellowed" when they reach a full and pleasing flavor, without sharpness. The laid-back quality of jazz pieces like John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” is often described as mellow. Sometimes the musicians who play them are mellow too. When people are slightly and pleasantly intoxicated, they often claim to be feeling mellow, having attained a relaxed and agreeable state without even having to grow old.

Example Sentences

There’s its flavor profile, which is sharp and pungent when consumed raw yet mellow, nutty and almost buttery when cooked down.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

Christian content creator Jordan Boateng "likes to dance a lot" and says there's more to gospel than just "mellow beats".

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

That mellow approach made her such an outlier in the vicious world of international figure skating that she might as well have showed up with roller skates.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

The edges of radicchio mellow just enough to stay interesting.

From Salon • Dec. 16, 2025

After that, if the night was mellow I strolled down Madison Avenue past the old Murray Hill Hotel and over Thirty-third Street to the Pennsylvania Station.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Related Words

• delicate
• savory
• soft
• soothing
• sweet