mellow

[ mel-oh ]

/ ˈmɛl oʊ /

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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

mellite, mellitum, mellon, mellophone, mellotron, mellow, mellow out, melo, melodeon, melodia, melodic

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 Forms

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