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Definition of melancholy
melancholies
1a : an abnormal state attributed to an excess of black bile and characterized by irascibility or depressionb : black bilec : melancholia
2a : depression of spirits : dejection great outbursts of creativity alternate with feelings of extreme melancholy — Brenda Lane Richardsonb : a pensive mood a fine romantic kind of a melancholy on the fading of the year — Richard Holmes
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Examples of melancholy in a Sentence
the bleakness of winter sometimes gives me cause for melancholy
Recent Examples of melancholy from the Web
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The termination provided an immediate emotional lift: Gone was the fearsome melancholy.
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But here, despite a vein of Ayckbourn-esque melancholy and a nod toward state-of-the-nation seriousness, Mr. Betts and the director, Stephen Darcy, keep surging past naturalism toward strident farce, then stumbling into tragedy.
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Liverpool has been through tough times since The Beatles split in 1970, and the festival includes notes of melancholy amid the celebration.
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Liverpool has been through tough times since The Beatles split in 1970, and the festival includes notes of melancholy amid the celebration.
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Liverpool has been through tough times since The Beatles split in 1970, and the festival includes notes of melancholy amid the celebration.
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The excitement that had hung in the air was replaced by a fuzzy melancholy, and sadness for something lost.
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There’s a foundational melancholy to King’s performance that attaches itself to Ruzumna as the play unfolds.
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Like that movie, The Place Beyond the Pines puts a tremendous amount of work into texture, giving every scene an air of melancholy that's strangely hypnotic.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'melancholy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of melancholy
Middle English malencolie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin melancholia, from Greek, from melan- + cholē bile — more at gall
Other Psychology Terms
Definition of melancholy
1a : suggestive or expressive of sadness or depression of mind or spirit sang in a melancholy voiceb : causing or tending to cause sadness or depression of mind or spirit : dismal a melancholy thought
Examples of melancholy in a Sentence
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.
Recent Examples of melancholy from the Web
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The melancholy binge-eat became a huge talker at Sundance Film Festival in January, where Ghost Story premiered to rapturous reviews.
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Byrne was so convincing as young lawyer Ellen Parsons, viewers couldn’t see her in anything but serious roles (her melancholy features also seemed built for them).
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By wearing the melancholy clothing of a handmaid, the women yesterday were taking their stand ahead of the madness.
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While in Seoul in 2011, Bong’s eye caught an animal on the street with a melancholy look.
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Lacey established herself as a skillful chronicler of female melancholy with her 2014 debut, Nobody Is Ever Missing.
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Producing artistic director Charlie Fee sets this tale of the melancholy Dane in the Renaissance time period, a common experience in Shakespearean production around the world, but unusual for ISF.
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Jonathan Dyrud and Laura Welsh Berg both play the melancholy Dane, who seeks revenge for his father’s murder.
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But that’s not the end of the story, which has a melancholy coda in Greece.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'melancholy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of melancholy
see 1melancholy
Other Psychology Terms
MELANCHOLY Defined for English Language Learners
melancholy
playDefinition of melancholy for English Language Learners
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: feeling or showing sadness : very unhappy
MELANCHOLY Defined for Kids
Medical Dictionary
melancholy
playMedical Definition of melancholy
melancholies
1a: an abnormal state attributed to an excess of black bile and characterized by irascibility or depressionb: black bilec: melancholia
2: depression or dejection of spirits
melancholy
adjectiveLearn More about melancholy
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See words that rhyme with melancholy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for melancholy Spanish Central: Translation of melancholy Nglish: Translation of melancholy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of melancholy for Arabic speakers
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