melancholic

adjective

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mel·an·chol·ic | \ ˌme-lən-ˈkä-lik

Definition of melancholic

1 : of, relating to, or subject to melancholy : depressed

2 : of or relating to melancholia

3 : tending to depress the spirits : saddening

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Examples of melancholic in a Sentence

she becomes quite melancholic when she reflects on all the lost opportunities of her life

Recent Examples on the Web Puccini claimed to have written the six-minute elegy in one night; motifs from the melancholic work appear in his later opera Manon Lescaut. — Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, "Audience of Plants Roots for Barcelona Opera House on Opening Night," 24 June 2020 This intimacy particularly benefits Miranda, Phillipa Soo (as Hamilton’s wife Eliza), and Renée Elise Goldsberry (as her sister Angelica), a trio whose quieter, melancholic moments in the second act get a more of a showcase on camera. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "The Surreal Experience of Watching Hamilton in 2020," 3 July 2020 Istanbul was devoid of all tourists and the familiar sounds of cars blaring melancholic Turkish pop, gossiping neighbors, and music from the tango studio next to my apartment were replaced by the echoes of stilted Zoom calls. — Jenna Scatena, Condé Nast Traveler, "Post-Lockdown, Istanbul's Residents Are Embracing Empty Palaces and Sunset Dance Parties," 30 June 2020 While there's nothing here to visually rival the character's past cinematic outings, its exploration of the quiet realities lurking beneath outsized myths makes this a more melancholic, surprisingly thoughtful diversion. — Isaac Feldberg, Fortune, "What to stream (and skip) on HBO and Apple TV+ this weekend," 24 Apr. 2020 The adjoining illustration, which depicts Oliver standing mutely, with his hand covering his mouth, and is rendered, like the rest of the book, in a beautifully melancholic palette of light blue, brown, and white, is a real heartbreaker. — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, "The Delight and Sadness of Tomie dePaola," 6 Apr. 2020 Ahmed Ismail Hussein, whose sweet-stringed and melancholic melodies captivated generations of Somalis and made him one of Somalia’s most important musicians, died on Tuesday in London. — Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, "Ahmed Ismail Hussein, Venerable Somali Musician, Dies at 91," 8 Apr. 2020 From her euphoric bops to melancholic love songs and heartbreaking odes, Taylor Swift’s music has unquestionably defined the last decade of pop music. — Jill Gutowitz, Glamour, "Taylor Swift's 10 Best (and Worst) Songs of All Time," 1 Apr. 2020 The Book of Us: Entropy introduces new sides to the band, through a listening experience that is like a whirlwind of emotions leading to an entropic state, one moment quirky and dynamic and the next mellow and melancholic. -- TAMAR HERMAN 24. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "The 25 Best K-pop Albums of 2019: Critics' Picks," 31 Dec. 2019

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