mellow

¹mel·low

adjective \ˈme-(ˌ)lō\

Definition of MELLOW

1

a of a fruit : tender and sweet because of ripeness

b of a wine : well aged and pleasingly mild

2

a : made gentle by age or experience

b : rich and full but free from garishness or stridency

c : warmed and relaxed by or as if by liquor

d : pleasant, agreeable

e : laid-back

3

of soil : having a soft and loamy consistency

— mel·low·ly adverb

— mel·low·ness noun

Examples of MELLOW

1. The painting captures the mellow light of a summer evening.
2. This wine is very mellow.
3. He was in a mellow mood.
4. She was a tough and demanding teacher, but she became mellower in her old age.
5. He's a very mellow guy.
6. After a couple of drinks we all started feeling pretty mellow.

Origin of MELLOW

Middle English melowe

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to MELLOW

Synonyms

euphonious, lyrical, mellifluent, mellifluous, lyric, melodic, melodious, musical

Antonyms

unlyrical

Related Words

dulcet, golden, sweet

Near Antonyms

disconnected, staccato; discordant, dissonant, grating, harsh, inharmonious, jarring, strident, unmelodious, unmusical

²mellow

verb

Definition of MELLOW

transitive verb

: to make mellow

intransitive verb

: to become mellow —often used with out

Examples of MELLOW

1. She was a tough and demanding teacher, but she has mellowed in her old age.
2. The wine needs time to mellow.
3. She was a tough and demanding teacher, but old age has mellowed her.

First Known Use of MELLOW

1575

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

finish, gimlet, mull, sake, setup, sommelier, syllabub, vintner, wassail

Rhymes with MELLOW

bellow, yellow