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melancholy

[ mel-uhn-kol-ee ]

/ ˈmɛl ənˌkɒl i /

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See synonyms for melancholy on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural mel·an·chol·ies.

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

sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.

Archaic.

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

adjective

affected with, characterized by, or showing melancholy; mournful; depressed: a melancholy mood.

causing melancholy or sadness; saddening: a melancholy occasion.

soberly thoughtful; pensive.

OTHER WORDS FOR melancholy

1 sadness, dejection, despondency.

4 gloomy, despondent, blue, dispirited, sorrowful, dismal, doleful, glum, downcast.

See synonyms for melancholy on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR melancholy

1 cheer, happiness.

5 happy.

See antonyms for melancholy on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR MELANCHOLY

The Bizarre Origin Of The Word "Melancholy"

The meaning of melancholy was never a good thing, but it was way worse in medieval times … kind of like everything else back then when I think about it, actually.

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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; see origin at melan(o)-, chol-, -ia

OTHER WORDS FROM melancholy

mel·an·chol·i·ly, adverbmel·an·chol·i·ness, nounun·mel·an·chol·y, adjective

Words nearby melancholy

Melampus, melan-, melancholia, melancholiac, melancholic, melancholy, Melanchthon, Melanesia, Melanesian, Melanesian Pidgin English, mélange

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use melancholy in a sentence

In The Ringer, Rob Harvilla wrote that the album lacked any potential for pop hits as well as the “propulsion and the melancholy severity” of her past work.
Why Lorde’s Solar Power Is a Pop Oddity|Andrew R. Chow|August 23, 2021|Time
Aaron Hicks, the Yankees’ $10 million-a-year center fielder, recently asked to sit out a game because he’d been rendered melancholy by the national news of the day.
Gene Weingarten: Take me out to the Old. Word. Game.|Gene Weingarten|May 6, 2021|Washington Post
In three months, NASA will come upon the 10th anniversary of the final space shuttle flight, a period that was surely melancholy for the space agency.
NASA gets what it wanted: Independent, reliable access to space|Eric Berger|April 23, 2021|Ars Technica
Wilde wrote The Happy Prince and Other Tales, which, despite the title, all have a certain melancholy about them.
12 Crazy True Stories About Children’s Authors|Kate Bartlett|April 1, 2021|Ozy

The researcher’s team also found that users with a tendency to post or engage with melancholy content—a possible sign of depression—could easily spiral into consuming increasingly negative material that risked further worsening their mental health.
How Facebook got addicted to spreading misinformation|Karen Hao|March 11, 2021|MIT Technology Review
I found their melancholy inviting and I appreciated their contemplative, lonely world.
The Stacks: Edward Hopper’s X-Ray Vision|Hilton Kramer|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the first chapter, rebellious Holly Sykes runs away from home and headlong into the melancholy perils of first love.
David Mitchell’s ‘The Bone Clocks’ Is Fun But Mostly Empty Calories|William O’Connor|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Ah, that trip with Lance," he said, then glanced down, with those melancholy eyes.
When I Met Robin Williams in Afghanistan|Matthew Kaminski|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The slurring of relationships and transactions has effects ranging from the gruesome to the melancholy.
Meet The Former Call Girl Saving Hookers For Jesus|Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Young and gracious faces, somewhat remote and proud, but with a melancholy and sweet kindness.
The Real Memorial Day: Oliver Wendell Holmes's Salute To A Momentous American Anniversary|Malcolm Jones|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But, when the car came thundering down, it was crammed to the step; with a melancholy gesture, the driver declined her signal.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
At the same time he is appreciative and very amusing, and one has no chance to indulge in melancholy with him.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Quaint old Burton in his "Anatomy of Melancholy," recognizes the virtues of the plant while he anathematizes its abuse.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
There is among women always a melancholy satisfaction in seeing the very last of the beloved object.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
There is nothing like it among us at the present day except within the melancholy precincts of the penitentiary.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock

British Dictionary definitions for melancholy

melancholy

/ (ˈmɛlənkəlɪ) /

noun plural -cholies

a constitutional tendency to gloominess or depression

a sad thoughtful state of mind; pensiveness

archaic

a gloomy character, thought to be caused by too much black bile
one of the four bodily humours; black bileSee humour (def. 8)

adjective

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

Derived forms of melancholy

melancholily (ˈmɛlənˌkɒlɪlɪ), adverbmelancholiness, noun

Word Origin for melancholy

C14: via Old French from Late Latin melancholia, from Greek melankholia, from melas black + kholē bile

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