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melancholy

American  
[mel-uhn-kol-ee] / ˈmɛl ənˌkɒl i /

noun

plural

melancholies

  1. a gloomy state of mind, especially when habitual or prolonged; depression.

    Synonyms:
    despondency, dejection, sadness
    Antonyms:
    happiness, cheer

  2. sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.

    Synonyms:
    seriousness

  3. Archaic.

    1. the condition of having too much black bile, considered in ancient and medieval medicine to cause gloominess and depression.

    2. black bile.

adjective

  1. affected with, characterized by, or showing melancholy; mournful; depressed.

    a melancholy mood.
    Synonyms:
    downcast, glum, doleful, dismal, sorrowful, dispirited, blue, despondent, gloomy

  2. causing melancholy or sadness; saddening.

    a melancholy occasion.
    Antonyms:
    happy

  3. soberly thoughtful; pensive.

    Synonyms:
    serious, serious
melancholy British  
/ ˈmɛlənˌkɒlɪlɪ, ˈmɛlənkəlɪ /

noun

  1. a constitutional tendency to gloominess or depression

  2. a sad thoughtful state of mind; pensiveness

  3. archaic

    1. a gloomy character, thought to be caused by too much black bile

    2. one of the four bodily humours; black bile See humour

"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

adjective

  1. characterized by, causing, or expressing sadness, dejection, etc

"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

Other Word Forms

  • melancholily adverb
  • melancholiness noun
  • unmelancholy adjective

Etymology

Origin of melancholy

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English melancholie, from Late Latin melancholia, from Greek melancholía ”condition of having black bile,” equivalent to melan- “black” + chol(ḗ) “bile, gall” + -ia noun suffix; melan(o)-, chol-, -ia

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"My life is a broken roller coaster, but maybe I'm the only one to blame," they sing on the melancholy Merry Go Round.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

This melancholy acknowledgment of hair-trigger anger isn’t limited to healthcare.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

It’s fun, headlong reading with a shot of melancholy.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026

Not all makeovers were created equal: Some were in service to disappearing, others to fitting in; some were manic and others melancholy.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2026

And then, just as Vincent has done when feeling sick and melancholy, Theo remembers the past and their bond.

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.