1
as in sad
causing unhappiness
the melancholy thought of having to say good-bye to all the friends he had made over the summer
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2
as in depressed
feeling unhappiness
they were a bit melancholy after their youngest child left for college
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3
as in thoughtful
given to or marked by long, quiet thinking
a melancholy period in the artist's life that is reflected in his work
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as in sadness
a state or spell of low spirits
the bleakness of winter sometimes gives me cause for melancholy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of melancholy
Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
Far from being a melancholy reminder of their late colleague, this was an exuberant and joyful way to close the evening.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Oct. 2025
Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Lacy’s new music maintains his sly sense of humor, but with a barefaced melancholy that pushes it to new emotional depths.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melancholy
Adjective
In this melancholy-comic subversion of a rags-to-riches story Karl’s empathetic musings about those less fortunate immigrants foreshadow his subsequent downhill trajectory.
—Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
Far from being a melancholy reminder of their late colleague, this was an exuberant and joyful way to close the evening.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
The film is a series of character studies, quiet, observational and non-judgmental – a comedy, but interwoven with threads of melancholy.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Lacy’s new music maintains his sly sense of humor, but with a barefaced melancholy that pushes it to new emotional depths.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melancholy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melancholy
Adjective
-
How’s this for a sad old country tune?—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The results were a shock to the family, but one that was tinged with a sad realization.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The writer, known for her trailblazing work in confessional poetry, was clinically depressed and died by suicide at age 30.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Barbeau had been living alone, depressed and isolated since Jessica’s death.—
Jon Michael Varese,
The Atlantic,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Score our favorite new finds, including a brilliantly fun garlic peeler, a thoughtful batter dispenser for pancakes, baked goods, and more, and a genius two-in-one flipper spatula.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
8 Oct. 2025
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In the real world, this could look like strengthening a partnership through thoughtful gestures, receiving a windfall of support from family or finding joy in everyday rituals that suddenly feel sacred.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Jane Goodall’s passing is a moment of profound sadness.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
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Multiplying forms of addiction, proliferating mental illness—in the midst of the Iraq War, with the Cold War paradigm dead alongside the USSR, and the Regan 1980s in the rearview, the United States of the 00s was marked by a pervasive sadness captured in Wallace’s prose.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As a result, his work is equal parts depressing and invigorating.—
Walt Hunter,
The Atlantic,
9 Oct. 2025
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This also doesn’t imply the book is depressing or a tear-jerker—quite the opposite.—
Diana Arterian,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
He was told by Talent Relations that the creative team was unhappy with him.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The now-37-year-old wasn’t unhappy with her job.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
His reflective blue shades were perched atop a baseball cap, obscuring much of his face.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
6 Oct. 2025
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The pride in Plough’s expressions and the tone of his voice was reflective of the theme that every victory is to be savored in this rough-and-tumble sport, one in which no one weeps for the wounded.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
If conditions are right, the clusters swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical depression.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Newsweek spoke with two mental health experts to better understand the rare condition, which is characterized by both schizophrenia symptoms and mood disorders such as mania or depression.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Melancholy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melancholy. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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