melancholic
adjective
mel·an·chol·ic
ˌme-lən-ˈkä-lik 
1
: of, relating to, or subject to melancholy : depressed
2
: of or relating to melancholia
3
: tending to depress the spirits : saddening
melancholic
noun
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
The Handmaid's Tale wrapped its sixth and final season on a triumphant, if melancholic, note.
—
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 27 May 2025
It’s shaped by my love of the melancholic songwriting traditions of Europe from composers like Monteverdi and John Dowland, all the way to ’90s Eurodance and the uplifting trance of the 2000s—artists like Gigi D’Agostino and Alice Deejay.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 8 July 2025
Since the band formed in 2008, Nanook's brand of melancholic folk-pop has sold around 5,000 records in Greenland − meaning that about 1 in 10 Greenlanders, 1 in 4 or 5 households, could own one.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 6 July 2025
The author would eventually write herself into the melancholic Moominvalley in November.
—Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for melancholic
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 27 May 2025
It’s shaped by my love of the melancholic songwriting traditions of Europe from composers like Monteverdi and John Dowland, all the way to ’90s Eurodance and the uplifting trance of the 2000s—artists like Gigi D’Agostino and Alice Deejay.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 8 July 2025
Since the band formed in 2008, Nanook's brand of melancholic folk-pop has sold around 5,000 records in Greenland − meaning that about 1 in 10 Greenlanders, 1 in 4 or 5 households, could own one.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 6 July 2025
The author would eventually write herself into the melancholic Moominvalley in November.
—Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for melancholic
Cite this Entry
“Melancholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melancholic. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
melancholic
1 of 2 adjective
mel·an·chol·ic
ˌmel-ən-ˈkäl-ik
1
: of, relating to, or subject to melancholy : depressed
2
: of or relating to melancholia
melancholic
2 of 2 noun1
: a melancholy person
2
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share