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 mellowness

Mrs. Sawney's tone grew in mellowness as her anger increased.
Mrs. Bindle|Hebert Jenkins
All of which contributes to its healthfulness, mellowness and aroma.
The Boston Cooking-School Magazine (Vol. XV, No. 2, Aug.-Sept., 1910)|Various
Since then, she had forgotten those tones, and thought his voice hard; but now its warmth and mellowness brought back a memory.
Vision House|C. N. Williamson
His delight in the situation has a mellowness far removed from the anxious, ambiguous glee of the urchin.
The Gentle Reader|Samuel McChord Crothers

Not a morsel of it but was full of mellowness, and sweet flavour, and fragrance.
Summer Cruising in the South Seas|Charles Warren Stoddard

British Dictionary definitions for mellowness

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