melancholia

noun

mel·an·cho·lia | \ ˌme-lən-ˈkō-lē-ə

Definition of melancholia

1 : severe depression characterized especially by profound sadness and despair Tense, irritable, I crashed into a fit of melancholia and found myself crying over inconsequential problems.— Susan Wood A depressed Johnson was not the father figure that Boswell, himself prey to crippling bouts of melancholia and insecurity, wanted to celebrate.— Brooke Allen

2 : a sad quality or mood : melancholy There's a touching melancholia to his voice …— Ralph Novak Like Wallace's breakthrough novel, "Infinite Jest," "The Pale King" is pervaded by an air of melancholia, an acute sense of loss.— Tom McCarthy

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Did You Know?

Melancholia traces back to Greek melan ("black, dark") and cholē ("bile"). Medical practitioners once adhered to the system of humors-bodily fluids that included black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm. An imbalance of these humors was thought to lead to disorders of the mind and body. One suffering from an excess of black bile (believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen) could become sullen and unsociable-liable to anger, irritability, brooding, and depression. Today, doctors no longer ascribe physical and mental disorders to disruptions of the four humors, but the word melancholia is still used in psychiatry (it is identified a "subtype" of clinical depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and as a general term for despondency.

Examples of melancholia in a Sentence

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Any aggression Madonna feels about her divorce—on this album, at least—is flushed out by melancholia. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Madonna Released the Ultimate Divorce Album 6 Years Ago—You Just Didn't Listen," 30 Nov. 2018 Psychotic melancholia sounds horrifying, like a German band that plays an obscure subgenre of death metal. — Yusef Roach, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Communal Experience of Going to the Symphony for the First Time," 31 May 2018 This familiar premise leads to a twist: Instead of adrenaline rush suspense scenes, this plot languishes in mundane melancholia. — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, "Review: In ‘The Night Eats the World,’ Zombie Apocalypse Now, Again," 12 July 2018 In the London home of Vijay Mallya, a self-exiled liquor tycoon, Mr Crabtree finds a golden toilet seat and melancholia. — The Economist, "The tycoons who are powering India’s rise," 5 July 2018 Although run-down, the beautiful architecture of historic buildings creates a mesmerizing melancholia. — Mosha Lundström Halbert, Vogue, "The Latina Cool Girl’s Guide to Mexico City," 4 June 2018 Basically, a Lars Kepler thriller stops only to fixate on Joona’s eyes, which distractingly transfix any number of characters who take in this tall hunk of melancholia. — Ken Tucker, New York Times, "‘The Silence of the Lambs’ Goes Nordic Noir," 13 Apr. 2018 For two and a half verses, Chance bathes in his melancholia. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "The Playlist: Hear Beyoncé Join ‘Mi Gente,’ Plus 9 More New Songs," 29 Sep. 2017 Elegant melancholia isn’t enough for the National anymore. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "The National Gives Its Sound a Jolt on ‘Sleep Well Beast’," 6 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'melancholia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

14 Jan 2019

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The first known use of melancholia was circa 1553

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More Definitions for melancholia

melancholia

noun

English Language Learners Definition of melancholia

old-fashioned + literary : a feeling of sadness and depression

See the full definition for melancholia in the English Language Learners Dictionary

melancholia

noun

mel·an·cho·lia | \ ˌmel-ən-ˈkō-lē-ə

Medical Definition of melancholia

: a mental condition and especially a manic-depressive condition characterized by extreme depression, psychomotor agitation, and often hallucinations and delusions