melancholy

noun

mel·​an·​choly ˈme-lən-ˌkä-lē 

plural melancholies

1

a

: a state of sadness : depression of spirits : dejection

Mitchell sounds utterly alone in her melancholy, turning the sadness into tender art.

—Rolling Stone

Mordecai let his hands fall, and his head sink in melancholy: for the moment he had lost hold of his hope.

—George Eliot

b

: a pensive mood

One 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

The boy's soul was steeped in melancholy. … He sat long with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands, meditating.

—Mark Twain

2

archaic

a

: melancholia sense 1

Ellen, especially, continued to grieve and brood, her long, moody musings broken only by fits of stormy, passionate weeping. The old Lowbridge doctor … feared permanent melancholy or worse.

—L. M. Montgomery

b

: an abnormal state attributed to an excess of black bile and characterized by irascibility or depression

c

: black bile

Synonyms of melancholy

• sadness
• depression
• sorrowfulness
• mournfulness

Examples of melancholy in a Sentence

the bleakness of winter sometimes gives me cause for melancholy

Recent Examples on the Web

Absent the lush melancholy of classic synth-pop, what Hervé and Amato had in common with their forbears was a spirit of innovation rooted in profound laziness. —Walden Green, Pitchfork, 23 May 2026

While the actors are committed, poignant and warm, their upbeat tone doesn’t always blend well with the melancholy of the picture. —Tomris Laffly, Variety, 13 May 2026

His reputation, as captured by obituaries in the Guardian and the Times of London, is one of genteel melancholy and precise social observation. —Charlie Tyson, Harpers Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026

Still, the achievement carried a touch of melancholy for Lovell. —Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2c

Rhymes for melancholy

• duopoly
• musicale
• pulmonale
• triticale
• akali
• bengali
• diwali
• loblolly
• naphtali
• nepali
• secale
• somali

Kids Definition

melancholy

1 of 2 noun

mel·​an·​choly ˈmel-ən-ˌkäl-ē 

plural melancholies

: a sad or gloomy mood or condition

melancholy

2 of 2 adjective

1

: depressed in spirits : dejected, sad

2

: seriously thoughtful

3

: causing sadness : dismal

a melancholy thought

Etymology

Middle English malencolie "melancholy," from early French melancolie (same meaning), from Latin melancholia (same meaning), from Greek melancholia "melancholy," literally, "black bile," from melan-, melas "black" and cholē "bile"; so called from the ancient belief that the condition was caused by an excess of what was thought to be black bile in the body — related to choleric, melanin see Word History at humor

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 adjective