melancholy
1 of 2noun
mel·an·choly ˈme-lən-ˌkä-lē 
plural melancholies
1
a
: depression of spirits : dejection
great outbursts of creativity alternate with feelings of extreme melancholy
Brenda Lane Richardson
Brenda Lane RichardsonMitchell sounds utterly alone in her melancholy, turning the sadness into tender art. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone b
: a pensive mood
a fine romantic kind of a melancholy on the fading of the year Richard Holmes
Richard HolmesOne white arm and hand drooped over the side of the chair, and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy. Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle2
a
: melancholia sense 1
b
archaic : an abnormal state attributed to an excess of black bile and characterized by irascibility or depression
c
archaic : black bile
melancholy
2 of 2adjective
1
a
: suggestive or expressive of sadness or depression of mind or spirit
sang in a melancholy voice
b
: causing or tending to cause sadness or depression of mind or spirit : dismal
a melancholy thought
2
a
: depressed in spirits : dejected, sad
b
: pensive
Synonyms
Noun
- blue devils
- blues
- dejection
- depression
- desolation
- despond
- despondence
- despondency
- disconsolateness
- dispiritedness
- doldrums
- dolefulness
- downheartedness
- dreariness
- dumps
- forlornness
- gloom
- gloominess
- glumness
- heartsickness
- joylessness
- miserableness
- mopes
- mournfulness
- oppression
- sadness
- sorrowfulness
- unhappiness
Adjective
- depressing
- dismal
- drear
- dreary
- heartbreaking
- heartrending
- mournful
- pathetic
- sad
- saddening
- sorry
- tearful
- teary
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun the bleakness of winter sometimes gives me cause for melancholy Adjective A melancholy lesson of advancing years is the realization that you can't make old friends. Christopher Hitchens, Harper's, June 1999 He has a snarled mop of spiky black hair, melancholy circles around his eyes, and a tiny Cupid's-bow mouth. Pauline Kael, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 1990 I see your mournful party in my mind's eye under every varying circumstance of the day; … the efforts to talk, the frequent summons to melancholy orders and cares, and poor Edward, restless in misery, going from one room to the other … Jane Austen, letter, 24 Oct. 1808 She was in a melancholy mood. He became quiet and melancholy as the hours slowly passed. See More
Christopher Hitchens, Harper's, June 1999 He has a snarled mop of spiky black hair, melancholy circles around his eyes, and a tiny Cupid's-bow mouth. Pauline Kael, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 1990 I see your mournful party in my mind's eye under every varying circumstance of the day; … the efforts to talk, the frequent summons to melancholy orders and cares, and poor Edward, restless in misery, going from one room to the other … Jane Austen, letter, 24 Oct. 1808 She was in a melancholy mood. He became quiet and melancholy as the hours slowly passed. See More Recent Examples on the Web Alex Apatoff, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022 Elba, who frequently projects toughness or villainy on-screen, gets to be fish-out-of-water funny with bouts of melancholy. David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2022 The sound of her music is pure indie-label bliss, filled with confessional lyrics and off-kilter observations and melancholy-Sunday-afternoon vibes buffeted by buzzsaw-sonic melodies. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2022 The intermittent use of harmonica, banjo and pedal steel guitar enhances the music’s weary elegance and melancholy. Marc Myers, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2022 But, even as his environment changed, his melancholy remained. Raffi Khatchadourian, The New Yorker, 9 May 2022 But a lot of those poems, people will now understand, have a lot of melancholy behind them and a real challenging experience that birthed that thought. Outside Online, 11 Jan. 2021 Even in the maternity ward, the sight of women cradling babies roused the old melancholy. Washington Post, 6 May 2022 Despite the sweetness, Bright Eyes still evoke the melancholy of their earliest work. Spin Staff, SPIN, 14 Feb. 2022 Mark Richardson, WSJ, 5 Sep. 2022 In fact, the entire film, co-directed by Felder and Stefano Decarli, has an enveloping mood of the melancholy that weaves through much of the depressive Chopin’s music. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 Labor Day always comes with a few mixed feelings—the excitement for fall, the melancholy of summer ending—but one thing that's always guaranteed to get us in a good mood for summer's last hurrah? Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 22 Aug. 2022 Cho, with his ability to shade any kind of dialogue with tones of melancholy and regret, is well cast in the central role. Mike Hale, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2021 There’s a sadness and melancholy that’s beautiful to what Howard Shore wrote. Sydney Odman, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2022 One TikTok in particular, uploaded by the user @rckelly99, is a hilarious, melancholy, and revealing insight that’s earned 227,000 views. Wired, 5 July 2022 As a result, this rendition honors Hamlet as not just self-indulgently melancholy, but as grappling with legitimate, heartbreaking loss. New York Times, 30 June 2022 Anyone can craft a carefree summer party anthem, but it’s a far tougher task to harness all of the breezy, languid textures of the warmer months in service of melancholy, introspection and doubt. Andrew Barker, Variety, 24 June 2022 See More
Noun
One is a deceptively upbeat song about the melancholy of change. Alex Apatoff, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022 Elba, who frequently projects toughness or villainy on-screen, gets to be fish-out-of-water funny with bouts of melancholy. David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2022 The sound of her music is pure indie-label bliss, filled with confessional lyrics and off-kilter observations and melancholy-Sunday-afternoon vibes buffeted by buzzsaw-sonic melodies. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2022 The intermittent use of harmonica, banjo and pedal steel guitar enhances the music’s weary elegance and melancholy. Marc Myers, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2022 But, even as his environment changed, his melancholy remained. Raffi Khatchadourian, The New Yorker, 9 May 2022 But a lot of those poems, people will now understand, have a lot of melancholy behind them and a real challenging experience that birthed that thought. Outside Online, 11 Jan. 2021 Even in the maternity ward, the sight of women cradling babies roused the old melancholy. Washington Post, 6 May 2022 Despite the sweetness, Bright Eyes still evoke the melancholy of their earliest work. Spin Staff, SPIN, 14 Feb. 2022 Adjective
But the sprightly nature of the tunes and arrangements means the melancholy of the words is only part of the story. Mark Richardson, WSJ, 5 Sep. 2022 In fact, the entire film, co-directed by Felder and Stefano Decarli, has an enveloping mood of the melancholy that weaves through much of the depressive Chopin’s music. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 Labor Day always comes with a few mixed feelings—the excitement for fall, the melancholy of summer ending—but one thing that's always guaranteed to get us in a good mood for summer's last hurrah? Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 22 Aug. 2022 Cho, with his ability to shade any kind of dialogue with tones of melancholy and regret, is well cast in the central role. Mike Hale, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2021 There’s a sadness and melancholy that’s beautiful to what Howard Shore wrote. Sydney Odman, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2022 One TikTok in particular, uploaded by the user @rckelly99, is a hilarious, melancholy, and revealing insight that’s earned 227,000 views. Wired, 5 July 2022 As a result, this rendition honors Hamlet as not just self-indulgently melancholy, but as grappling with legitimate, heartbreaking loss. New York Times, 30 June 2022 Anyone can craft a carefree summer party anthem, but it’s a far tougher task to harness all of the breezy, languid textures of the warmer months in service of melancholy, introspection and doubt. Andrew Barker, Variety, 24 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English malencolie, melancolie "black bile, preponderance or excess of black bile, state (as anger or sorrow) produced by excessive black bile," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French malencolie, melencolie, borrowed from Late Latin melancholia (Medieval Latin malencolia, by association with the prefix mal- mal-), borrowed from Greek melancholía, from melan-, athematic variant of melano- melano- + cholḗ "bile" + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at gall entry 1
Adjective
Middle English malincolie, melancolie, from attributive use of malencolie melancholy entry 1, probably reinforced by construal of -ly as an adjective suffix
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
melancholy 1 of 2
adjective
mel·an·choly ˈme-lən-ˌkä-lē
: sad sense 1
I'll be melancholy if you go.
melancholy
2 of 2noun
: a sad or gloomy mood
Medical Definition
melancholy
noun
mel·an·choly ˈmel-ən-ˌkäl-ē
plural melancholies
1
: depression or dejection of spirits
also : melancholia
2
archaic
a
: an abnormal state attributed to an excess of black bile and characterized by irascibility or depression
b
: black bile
melancholy 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in sad
causing unhappiness the melancholy thought of having to say good-bye to all the friends he had made over the summer Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- sad
- depressing
- mournful
- pathetic
- heartbreaking
- tearful
- unfortunate
- drear
- saddening
- disturbing
- dreary
- teary
- dismal
- heartrending
- sorry
- distressful
- lamentable
- disquieting
- poignant
- distressing
- deplorable
- affecting
- touching
- woeful
- moving
- grievous
- discomforting
- perturbing
- dispiriting
- discouraging
- disheartening
- discomposing
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- cheery
- happy
- glad
- uplifting
- pleasant
- inspiring
- delightful
- stirring
- agreeable
- stimulating
- enjoyable
- satisfying
- heartening
- pleasurable
- pleasing
- heartwarming
- cheering
- welcome
- exhilarating
- thrilling
2
as in depressed
feeling unhappiness they were a bit melancholy after their youngest child left for college Synonyms & Similar Words
- sad
- depressed
- unhappy
- heartbroken
- miserable
- mournful
- melancholic
- bad
- sorrowful
- sorry
- upset
- worried
- doleful
- uneasy
- gloomy
- hopeless
- disconsolate
- dejected
- forlorn
- glum
- troubled
- disappointed
- woebegone
- downcast
- heartsick
- joyless
- downhearted
- despondent
- inconsolable
- blue
- crestfallen
- depressing
- hangdog
- heavyhearted
- saddened
- suicidal
- wretched
- brokenhearted
- woeful
- droopy
- down
- distressed
- cast down
- heartsore
- low-spirited
- low
- discouraged
- grieving
- despairing
- somber
- tearful
- unquiet
- aggrieved
- lugubrious
- dispirited
- weeping
- morbid
- bleak
- sunk
- dolorous
- plaintive
- lachrymose
- morose
- regretful
- anguished
- elegiac
- desolate
- down in the mouth
- rueful
- disheartened
- sullen
- cheerless
- gray
- dark
- wailing
- saturnine
- agonized
- darkening
- drear
- funereal
- dreary
- dismal
- sombre
- comfortless
- black
- murky
- grey
- elegiacal
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- joyous
- joyful
- cheerful
- blissful
- buoyant
- upbeat
- jubilant
- cheery
- gleeful
- euphoric
- happy
- rapturous
- exuberant
- sunny
- jovial
- mirthful
- rhapsodic
- rhapsodical
- exultant
- glad
- merry
- ecstatic
- jolly
- buoyed
- blithe
- jocose
- jocular
- optimistic
- blithesome
- chipper
- enraptured
- jocund
- delighted
- hopeful
- lightsome
- elated
- exhilarated
- sanguine
- gladsome
- overjoyed
- excited
- rosy
- entranced
- energetic
- gladdened
- spirited
- vivacious
- jaunty
- sprightly
- smiling
- lively
- vital
- perky
- frisky
- animated
- peppy
- thrilled
- laughing
- content
- lighthearted
- carefree
- satisfied
- springy
- bouncing
- careless
- easygoing
- encouraged
- zippy
- gratified
- insouciant
- pleased
- unconcerned
- grinning
- cavalier
- beaming
- heartened
- boon
- sprightful
- happy-go-lucky
- devil-may-care
3
as in reflective
given to or marked by long, quiet thinking a melancholy period in the artist's life that is reflected in his work Synonyms & Similar Words
- reflective
- thoughtful
- somber
- pensive
- philosophical
- contemplative
- ruminative
- musing
- meditative
- solemn
- philosophic
- broody
- cogitative
- introspective
- serious
- retrospective
- earnest
- ruminant
- sombre
- rational
- logical
- preoccupied
- analytic
- sober
- self-reflective
- sedate
- grave
- deliberate
- severe
- analytical
- purposeful
- abstracted
- serious-minded
- weighty
- absentminded
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unreflective
- frivolous
- flippant
- goofy
- scatterbrained
- thoughtless
- silly
- flighty
- unthinking
- light-headed
- harebrained
- mindless
- featherbrained
- brainless
melancholy
2 of 2noun
as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits the bleakness of winter sometimes gives me cause for melancholy Synonyms & Similar Words
- sadness
- sorrowfulness
- mournfulness
- depression
- sorrow
- gloom
- anguish
- grief
- gloominess
- dejection
- blues
- glumness
- unhappiness
- heartsickness
- misery
- despair
- miserableness
- joylessness
- forlornness
- dreariness
- oppression
- desperation
- mourning
- melancholia
- despondence
- agony
- downheartedness
- despondency
- mopes
- dumps
- desolation
- boredom
- pain
- despond
- somberness
- blue devils
- disconsolateness
- distress
- dispiritedness
- regret
- doldrums
- dolefulness
- hopelessness
- discouragement
- moroseness
- ennui
- woe
- dolor
- wretchedness
- morbidness
- self-pity
- disheartenment
- moodiness
- drear
- tedium
- woefulness
- self-despair
- rue
- morosity
- dismalness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- joy
- joyousness
- exultation
- exuberance
- happiness
- elation
- gayety
- ecstasy
- mirth
- euphoria
- joyfulness
- bliss
- jubilation
- intoxication
- rapture
- gladness
- exhilaration
- gaiety
- felicity
- jollity
- glee
- joviality
- optimism
- humor
- lightheartedness
- cheerfulness
- heaven
- hopefulness
- merriment
- blissfulness
- cheeriness
- mirthfulness
- gayness
- gleefulness
- contentment
- satisfaction
- sunniness
- cheer
- rapturousness
- elatedness
- contentedness
- content
- gladsomeness
- delight
- gratification