melancholy

[ mel-uhn-kol-ee ]
/ ˈmɛl ənˌkɒl i /
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.
  1. the condition of having too much black bile, considered in ancient and medieval medicine to cause gloominess and depression.
  2. 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.

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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

melan-, melancholia, melancholia attonita, melancholiac, melancholic, melancholy, Melanchthon, melanedema, Melanesia, Melanesian, Melanesian Pidgin English
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to melancholy

pensive, somber, gloomy, wistful, trite, mournful, sorrowful, grim, gloom, desperation, sorrow, despondency, grief, despair, boredom, ennui, wistfulness, blue, downbeat, downcast

Example sentences from the Web for melancholy

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
  1. a gloomy character, thought to be caused by too much black bile
  2. 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

Medical definitions for melancholy

melancholy
[ mĕl′ən-kŏl′ē ]

n.

Sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom.
Melancholia.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.