melancholic

adjective

mel·​an·​chol·​ic ˌme-lən-ˈkä-lik How to pronounce melancholic (audio)
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
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.
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 This melancholic yet humorous duet about a newly sober man who forms an unexpected bond with his dentist was an audience favorite at the SXSW festival. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 25 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for melancholic

Word History

Etymology

Middle English malencolic, melancolyk "consisting of or caused by black bile, irascible, gloomy," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French melancolique, borrowed from Latin melancholicus, borrowed from Greek melancholikós, from melancholía "black bile, melancholy entry 1" + -ikos -ic entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of melancholic was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Melancholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melancholic. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Medical Definition

melancholic

1 of 2 adjective
mel·​an·​chol·​ic ˌmel-ən-ˈkäl-ik How to pronounce melancholic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or subject to melancholy : depressed
2
: of or relating to melancholia

melancholic

2 of 2 noun
1
: a melancholy person
2

More from Merriam-Webster on melancholic

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