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

• mellifluousness
  noun
• unmellifluous
  adjective
• mellifluously
  adverb
• 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 ( see -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

See Examples For:

mellifluous

For centuries, French has been the measured and mellifluous language of international diplomacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

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

Blessed with a sweet, mellifluous voice, he began singing at his local church at the age of six.

From BBC ● 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

Bull had mostly listened that first day as this stricken, energetic man paced the sitting room of his rectory speaking with a mellifluous basso profundo voice that demanded and received unwavering attention.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy