melancholia

[mel-uh n-koh-lee-uh, -kohl-yuh]

See more synonyms for melancholia on Thesaurus.com

noun

a mental condition characterized by great depression of spirits and gloomy forebodings.
Psychiatry. endogenous depression.

Origin of melancholia

From Late Latin, dating back to 1685–95; see origin at melancholy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for melancholia

Contemporary Examples

Melancholia also produced a scandal at Cannes, but for another reason altogether.
Charlotte Gainsbourg’s Raw Performance in ‘Nymphomaniac’ Is Not About the Sex
Jimmy So
March 21, 2014
But she continues: “What is the relation between a sign and melancholia?”
The Best Things to See at Frieze Art Fair NY 2013
Isabel Wilkinson
May 10, 2013
He also has a taste for dark fugues, nocturnes, and symphonies of melancholia.
3 Must Reads: ‘Kayak Morning,’ ‘Mr. g,’ and ‘Alex Gilvarry’
Hillary Kelly, Mythili Rao, Jacob Silverman
February 8, 2012
No one who sees Melancholia can deny that that role has arrived for Dunst.
Kirsten Dunst on 'Melancholia' and Lars von Trier
Richard Rushfield
November 11, 2011
Despite this backdrop, Kirsten Dunst radiates excitement when she comes to talk about Melancholia.
Kirsten Dunst on 'Melancholia' and Lars von Trier
Richard Rushfield
November 11, 2011

Historical Examples

The truth was that she had given signs of melancholia ever since the death of Antonin.
Fruitfulness
Emile Zola
Melancholia is where is offered a good chance for Christian Science.
Evening Round Up
William Crosbie Hunter
What if the gentleman in a sudden fit of melancholia had thrown himself into the lake?
Jerry
Jean Webster
Is not this a manifest case of insanity, in the form known as melancholia?
Pages From an Old Volume of Life
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
You're going to get out of this wretched, unkempt state of melancholia at once.
A Village of Vagabonds
F. Berkeley Smith

British Dictionary definitions for melancholia

melancholia

noun

a former name for depression

Derived Formsmelancholiac, adjective, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for melancholia

n.

1690s, from Modern Latin melancholia (see melancholy).

melancholia in Medicine

melancholia

(mĕl′ən-kō′lē-ə)

A mental disorder characterized by depression, apathy, and withdrawal.

Related formsmel′an•cho′li•ac (-lē-ăk′) adj. n.

melancholia

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}melancholia

Examples from the Web for melancholia

Contemporary Examples

Melancholia also produced a scandal at Cannes, but for another reason altogether.

But she continues: “What is the relation between a sign and melancholia?”

He also has a taste for dark fugues, nocturnes, and symphonies of melancholia.

No one who sees Melancholia can deny that that role has arrived for Dunst.

Despite this backdrop, Kirsten Dunst radiates excitement when she comes to talk about Melancholia.

Historical Examples

The truth was that she had given signs of melancholia ever since the death of Antonin.

Melancholia is where is offered a good chance for Christian Science.

What if the gentleman in a sudden fit of melancholia had thrown himself into the lake?

Is not this a manifest case of insanity, in the form known as melancholia?

You're going to get out of this wretched, unkempt state of melancholia at once.

melancholia

Word Origin and History for melancholia

n.

melancholia

Origin of melancholia