melancholia

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

/ ˌmɛl ənˈkoʊ li ə, -ˈkoʊl yə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR melancholia ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Nearby words

melamine, melamine resin, melammed, melampus, melan-, melancholia, melancholia attonita, melancholiac, melancholic, melancholy, melanchthon

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for melancholia

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Melancholia is more favorable than mania in pregnancy, but after labor mania gives the better prognosis.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
The forms of mental disturbance commonest in puerperal insanity are mania with or without delirium, melancholia, and dementia.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
He passed through one of those terrific crises of melancholia which at long intervals threatened his reason.
The Love Affairs of Great Musicians, Volume 2|Rupert Hughes
His melancholia started in about that time, and he began to suspect everybody, including me.
The Autobiography of a Thief|Hutchins Hapgood
Melancholia is a condition of abnormal sadness without disorder of intelligence or memory.
Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology|C. G. Jung

British Dictionary definitions for melancholia

melancholia

/ (ˌmɛlənˈkəʊlɪə) /

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

melancholia

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

Medicine definitions for melancholia

melancholia

[ mĕl′ən-kō′lē-ə ]

n.

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

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

melancholia

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of melancholia

Examples from the Web for melancholia

British Dictionary definitions for melancholia

melancholia

noun

Word Origin and History for melancholia

melancholia

Medicine definitions for melancholia

melancholia

n.