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RELATED WORDS

unwind, recline, slow, slacken, ebb, wane, dwindle, recede, taper, subside, decrease, diminish, dull, quit, acquiesce, relax, soften, capitulate, comply, decline

Nearby words

  1. mellitum,
  2. mellon,
  3. mellon, andrew william,
  4. mellophone,
  5. mellotron,
  6. mellow out,
  7. mellowly,
  8. melo,
  9. melodeon,
  10. melodia

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.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mellow ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR mellow
1. immature, raw, green. 3. harsh.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR mellow ON THESAURUS.COM
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for mellow out

mellow

/ (ˈmɛləʊ) /

adjective

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 out
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with mellow out

mellow out

Become genial or pleasant, calm down, relax, as in The teacher mellowed out when they explained what had happened. This expression uses mellow in the sense of “ripening,” with the connotation of softness and sweetness. [Slang; late 1900s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.