melancholia

American  

[mel-uhn-koh-lee-uh, -kohl-yuh] / ˌmɛl ənˈkoʊ li ə, -ˈkoʊl yə /

noun

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

2. Psychiatry. endogenous depression.

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melancholia British  

/ ˌmɛlənˈkəʊlɪə /

noun

1. a former name for depression

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Other Word Forms

• melancholiac adjective

Etymology

Origin of melancholia

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

Explanation

Melancholia is a state of deep sadness. Your melancholia might make it hard to succeed in your career as a jolly birthday party clown. Melancholia is a name for a serious, diagnosable mental illness, but it can also mean more of a philosophical or aesthetic idea. You can call severe depression that requires a doctor's care melancholia. But you can also talk about the melancholia of your favorite piece of classical music or novel, if they're imbued with a somber moodiness or a deep sense of sorrow. The Greek root is melankolia, "sadness."

Example Sentences

But he added, acidly: “there was little about melancholia that he didn’t know; there was little else that he did.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

And people looking for a dose of introspective melancholia at the end of the festival will have to choose between The National on the Other Stage, and James Blake, who plays in the Woodsies tent.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2024

As they await a ruling, he said, “there’s a feeling of melancholia mixed with solidarity.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024

The show’s title, “Black Sun,” comes from the title of the philosopher Julia Kristeva’s 1987 volume on melancholia.

From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2023

Vincent knows there are members of the family who suffer from melancholia, from mood swings, extreme behavior, eccentricities.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• depression
• seasonal depression