mellow

[ mel-oh ]

/ ˈmɛl oʊ /

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See synonyms for: mellow / mellowed / mellowing / mellowness 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR mellow

9 develop, mature, improve.

See synonyms for mellow on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR mellow

1 immature, raw, green.

3 harsh.

See antonyms for mellow on Thesaurus.com

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showing self-respect

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Origin of mellow

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

synonym study for mellow

1. See ripe.

OTHER WORDS FROM mellow

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

Words nearby mellow

mellite, mellitum, Mellon, mellophone, Mellotron, mellow, mellow out, Melo, melodeon, melodia, melodic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use mellow in a sentence

He’s also heard customers, often male, say they are planning to ride mellow trails while coveting bikes with aggressive, slack geometry that got good magazine reviews but were tested on very different terrain.
Your Brain Is Tricking You into Buying the Wrong Gear|Heather Hansman|November 24, 2020|Outside Online
Their milder flavor means you can follow Winslow’s advice and use shallots for a modified version of creamed onions, typically made with mellow pearl onions.
Onions, shallots, scallions and leeks are mostly interchangeable in recipes. Here’s how to use what you have.|Becky Krystal|November 23, 2020|Washington Post
I can’t quite explain why it was so delightful—the mellow vibe, his untroubled demeanor, the easy mastery of the skateboard, but damn.
A TikTok star’s ‘Dreams’ come true|Ellen McGirt|October 7, 2020|Fortune
From a distance, they may appear deceptively mellow, but they’re filled with craggy granite peaks, waterfalls, and tight gorges, so hikes are often full of rock scrambles and river crossings.
The Ultimate Shenandoah National Park Travel Guide|Graham Averill|October 7, 2020|Outside Online

For others, it’s a mellow cruise on easy dirt just outside of town.
Three Family-Friendly Adventures to Try This Fall|Outside Editors|September 17, 2020|Outside Online
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
The day was perfect; as clear and bright, as mellow and crisp, as rich in colour, as only an October day in England can be.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
The warmest land is chosen—mellow and free from stones or shaded by trees and prepared as if for a garden.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The flavor is rich and mellow; a little more oily than Havana leaf.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The moon rose majestically above the distant trees; her full, round, and yellow orb cast a mellow light upon our group.
Confessions of a Thug|Philip Meadows Taylor
On this sweet lawn the inmates and guests walked for sun and mellow air, and often played bowls at eventide.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 101, March, 1866|Various

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 forms of mellow

mellowly, 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

mellow

OTHER WORDS FOR mellow

OPPOSITES FOR mellow

Origin of mellow

synonym study for mellow

OTHER WORDS FROM mellow

Words nearby mellow

Words related to mellow

How to use mellow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mellow

Derived forms of mellow

Word Origin for mellow