mellifluous

American  

[muh-lif-loo-uhs] / məˈlɪf lu əs /

adjective

1. sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding: mellifluous tones.

   a mellifluous voice;

   mellifluous tones.

   Synonyms:

   harmonious, dulcet, musical, melodious

2. flowing with honey; sweetened with or as if with honey.

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mellifluous British  

/ mɪˈlɪflʊəs /

adjective

1. (of sounds or utterances) smooth or honeyed; sweet

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Other Word Forms

• mellifluously adverb
• mellifluousness noun
• unmellifluous adjective
• unmellifluously adverb

Etymology

Origin of mellifluous

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin mellifluus, equivalent to Latin melli- (stem of mel ) “honey” + -flu(ere) “to flow” + -us adjective suffix ( -ous )

Explanation

Use the adjective mellifluous to describe something that sounds sweet and smooth, like the honeyed voice of a late-night radio DJ. You might think that the mell in mellifluous has something to do with mellow, but it actually comes from the Greek word meli, meaning "honey." The word is related to the mythological nymph Melissa, whose name means "honeybee." Melissa is said to have discovered that the smooth, sweet stuff that honeybees produce is edible. The word mellifluous combines meli with the Greek root fluere, meaning "to flow," so that something that is mellifluous sounds as if it is flowing like honey.

Example Sentences

An American Shakespearean who can hold his own with the Brits, he combines mellifluous diction with muscular imagination.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026

By 1978, his glossy album “Give Thankx” was influenced by his African travels, and its mellifluous production added the feel of American soul, showing off the power of his voice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

Deploying his relaxed, mellifluous Southern drawl to sinister purposes, Matthew McConaughey channels Robert Mitchum in Letts’s bracing redneck noir about a trailer-park murder scheme in West Texas that goes sideways.

From New York Times • Aug. 7, 2023

Her mellifluous voice soundtracks the show; frankly, "Top Chef" is Padma's stage.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2023

Isabel, a tenacious reporter and mellifluous writer who returned from a long book-writing leave for this project, had composed one of the most powerful chapters in the 1993 “Children of the Shadows” series.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times