atrabilious

Or at·ra·bil·iar

[a-truh-bil-yuhs]

adjective

1. gloomy; morose; melancholy; morbid.

2. irritable; bad-tempered; splenetic.

atrabilious

/ ˌætrəˈbɪljəs /

adjective

1. rare,  irritable

Other Word Forms

• atrabiliousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of atrabilious¹

1645–55; < Latin ātra bīli ( s ) black bile + -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of atrabilious¹

C17: from Latin ātra bīlis black bile, from āter black + bīlis _bile ¹

Example Sentences

Eliphalet borrowed money, his habiliments grew shabby, he took up mean callings for the sake of pelf, he became a spunge; he grew bilious, atrabilious, patriotic and indignant.

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After his conversion he made amends, though he was always the atrabilious faultfinder.

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The melancholy or atrabilious temperament is of a different character.

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The one truly successful film of this period is Mike Nichols's version of Edward Albee's , where a middle-aged academic couple tear each other apart in a manner reminiscent of Strindberg at his most atrabilious.

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His sallow, atrabilious features disclosed the tortures of his soul.

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Related Words

• crestfallen 
• despondent 
• discouraged 
• disheartened 
• dispirited 
• gloomy 
• glum 
• morose