mellow

[ mel-oh ]

/ ˈmɛl oʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mellow ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, mel·low·er, mel·low·est.

soft, sweet, and full-flavored from ripeness, as fruit.

well-matured, as wines.

soft and rich, as sound, tones, color, or light.

made gentle and compassionate by age or maturity; softened.

friable or loamy, as soil.

mildly and pleasantly intoxicated or high.

pleasantly agreeable; free from tension, discord, etc.: a mellow neighborhood.

affably relaxed; easygoing; genial: a mellow teacher who is very popular with her students.

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become mellow.

noun

Slang. a state, atmosphere, or mood of ease and gentle relaxation.

Verb Phrases

mellow out, Slang.

to become detached from worry, strife, stress, etc.; relax: After final exams let's go down to the beach and mellow out.
to make more relaxed, agreeable, workable, etc.; soften or smooth: Chopin really mellows me out when I'm feeling tense.

Nearby words

Origin of mellow

1400–50; late Middle English mel(o)we, alteration (perhaps by dissimilation, in phrase meruw fruit) of Middle English meruw, Old English meru soft

SYNONYMS FOR mellow

1 See ripe.

9 develop, mature, improve.

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ANTONYMS FOR mellow

1 immature, raw, green.

3 harsh.

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Related forms

mel·low·ly, adverbmel·low·ness, nouno·ver·mel·low, adjectiveo·ver·mel·low·ly, adverb

o·ver·mel·low·ness, nounun·mel·low, adjectiveun·mel·lowed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mellow

The following bright and mellow Monday, Uriguen cradles the new child.
Idaho Woman Who Gave Birth on Highway: ‘I Had to Pull My Pants Down to Get the Baby Out’|Dale Eisinger|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Muhammad Ali in Excelsis by Peter Richmond from GQ, April 1998 He is in mellow middle age now.
The Stacks: The True Greatness of Muhammad Ali|Peter Richmond|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His first wife, Sarah Loewen, recalled him as being “mellow.”
Terry Lee Loewen, the Mellow Kansas Man Who Dreamed of Jihad|Michael Daly|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As his longtime friend Bishop Desmond Tutu once told Sky News, “he needed that time in prison to mellow.”
Anger at the Heart of Nelson Mandela’s Violent Struggle|Christopher Dickey|December 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Can you put "mellow" on the label, or just give the chemical content?
Meet Mark Kleiman, the Man Who Will Be Washington State’s Pot Czar|Abby Haglage|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Dig in a good body of manure, and provide a mellow seed-bed.
The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots, 16th Edition|Sutton and Sons
But this uproar would be speedily silenced, and the mellow voice ring out again, clear and commanding.
Initials Only|Anna Katharine Green
I really think it had all the words in it I know, except those about growing round and mellow.
The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rgen|Elizabeth von Arnim
Her round, mellow accent sounded in his ears like dream music.
The Hills of Refuge|Will N. Harben
We were in warm, mellow September down in our valley, but just up there—such a little way it seemed—were the drifts of winter.
The Car That Went Abroad|Albert Bigelow Paine

British Dictionary definitions for mellow

mellow

/ (ˈmɛləʊ) /

adjective

(esp of fruits) full-flavoured; sweet; ripe

(esp of wines) well-matured

(esp of colours or sounds) soft or rich

kind-hearted, esp through maturity or old age

genial, as through the effects of alcohol

(of soil) soft and loamy

verb

to make or become mellow; soften; mature

(foll by out) to become calm and relaxed or (esp of a drug) to have a calming or relaxing effect on (someone)

Derived Formsmellowly, adverbmellowness, noun

Word Origin for mellow

C15: perhaps from Old English meru soft (as through ripeness)

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

Word Origin and History for mellow (1 of 2)

mellow

adj.

mid-15c., melwe "soft, sweet, juicy" (of ripe fruit), perhaps related to melowe, variant of mele "ground grain" (see meal (2)), influenced by Middle English merow "soft, tender," from Old English mearu. Meaning "slightly drunk" is from 1680s. Mellow yellow "banana peel smoked in an effort to get high" is from 1967. Related: Mellowly; mellowness.

Word Origin and History for mellow (1 of 2)

mellow

1570s, from mellow (adj.). Related: Mellowed; mellowing.

mellow

adjective, mel·low·er, mel·low·est.

verb (used with or without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of mellow

Examples from the Web for mellow

British Dictionary definitions for mellow

mellow

adjective

verb

Word Origin for mellow

Word Origin and History for mellow (1 of 2)

mellow

Word Origin and History for mellow (1 of 2)

mellow