mellow

1 of 2

adjective

mel·low ˈme-(ˌ)lō

Synonyms of mellow next

of a fruit : tender and sweet because of ripeness

of a wine : well aged and pleasingly mild

: made gentle by age or experience

She was a tough and demanding teacher, but she became mellow in her old age.

: rich and full but free from garishness or stridency

the mellow tones of an old violin

: warmed and relaxed by or as if by liquor

After a few drinks we felt pretty mellow.

: pleasant, agreeable

He was in a mellow mood.

: laid-back

mellow background music

of soil : having a soft and loamy consistency

mellowly adverb

mellowness noun

mellow

2 of 2

verb

mellowed; mellowing; mellows

transitive verb

: to make mellow

intransitive verb

: to become mellow

—often used with out

Example Sentences

Adjective The painting captures the mellow light of a summer evening. This wine is very mellow. He was in a mellow mood. She was a tough and demanding teacher, but she became mellower in her old age. He's a very mellow guy. After a couple of drinks we all started feeling pretty mellow. Verb She was a tough and demanding teacher, but she has mellowed in her old age. The wine needs time to mellow. She was a tough and demanding teacher, but old age has mellowed her. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Having grown up in the Mediterranean sunshine of Israel and later the mellow embrace of Los Angeles, he was attracted to the country, whose easy climate and lifestyle have led it to be called the California of Europe. —

Julie Lasky, ELLE Decor, 22 Mar. 2023 Brotato, open-world monster-breeding adventure Cassette Beasts, and mellow city-building sandbox Gourdlets. —

K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 21 Mar. 2023 While not good or bad, the energy at this year’s Vanity Fair party was noticeably different, perhaps a bit more mellow than in previous years. —

Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2023 For casual day hikes on mellow terrain, hiking boots are overkill. —

Nathan Borchelt, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2023 Impeccable groomers, long cruisers, and generally mellow terrain—there’s a reason Northstar is considered one of the best family ski resorts in the U.S. and Canada. —

Nina Kokotas Hahn, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Dec. 2022 The pot style call, specifically, a glass call or the slightly more mellow glass-over-slate. —

M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 7 Feb. 2023 The scientists behind the Mario Kart study also found that some more mellow games, like Animal Crossing and The Sims, actually lowered participants' heart rates as much as 5% during the 30 minutes. —

Brittany Edelmann, Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2023 The blanc de blancs is refreshingly tart to contrast the more mellow reserve. —

Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2022

Verb

Even better would be a well-aged auslese, which is potentially sweeter than spätlese (unless aged for at least 10 years, at which point the sweetness begins to mellow). —

New York Times, 17 Mar. 2022 Geranium, lavender, Sichuan pepper, patchouli and vetiver are the middle notes that mellow the aroma. —

Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022 Mustard Greens: Expect a hot mustardy flavor in these light green leaves, though cooking can mellow the heat. —

Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 July 2022 Griffin said the change was driven by rising construction costs due to inflation, and the hope that the economy would mellow-out somewhat over that extended timeframe. —

Courtney Astolfi, cleveland, 25 May 2022 The white ceiling, trim, and bed frame help mellow the potentially overwhelming look of the rich navy walls. —

Marisa Donnelly, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Jan. 2023 What binds it all together is a chickpea batter that needs a long bake in the oven to firm and an overnight chill to set and mellow to an egg-like taste. —

Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2023 But those who expected the outspoken entertainer to mellow after being kicked off the air will abandon that notion just minutes into the special. —

Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2023 Slight sweetness and lemon mellow the warm drink to feel like a fuzzy warm hug. —

Karla Alindahao, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mellow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.