mellow

[mel-oh]

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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.

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

Related formsmel·low·ly, adverbmel·low·ness, nouno·ver·mel·low, adjectiveo·ver·mel·low·ly, adverbo·ver·mel·low·ness, nounun·mel·low, adjectiveun·mel·lowed, adjective

Synonyms for mellow

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mellow ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See ripe. 9. develop, mature, improve.

Antonyms for mellow

1. immature, raw, green. 3. harsh.

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

Related Words for mellowness

ability, experience, sophistication, capability, manhood, wisdom, maturation, prime, development, cultivation, completion, readiness, mentality, advancement, majority, perfection, fullness, fitness, civilization, womanhood

Examples from the Web for mellowness

Historical Examples of mellowness

The mellowness of its old-fashioned, tarnished decoration was gone.
Chance
Joseph Conrad
But these terms, irritation, mellowness, appeared gross when applied to her.
The Arrow of Gold
Joseph Conrad
His embarrassment vanished in the mellowness of that laughter.
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909 to 1922
Lucy Maud Montgomery
In the air was an autumn mellowness that had not been there the day before.
Sally of Missouri
R. E. Young
The painting was illuminated with the mellowness of a tropical sunset.
Summer Cruising in the South Seas
Charles Warren Stoddard

British Dictionary definitions for mellowness

mellow

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 mellowness

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.

mellow

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