as in sad
feeling unhappiness
she becomes quite melancholic when she reflects on all the lost opportunities of her life
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of melancholic
The ancient estate and Henry’s melancholic mien put us deep into the tropes of that genre before the plot even gets moving.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
Opening with a melancholic harmonica that flirts with a country twang, the track feels unfiltered as Eric Aragón (real name) sings of regret and the sting of love gone wrong.
—Natalia Cano, Billboard, 16 Jan. 2026
The 20-year-old crooned the melancholic record backed solely by a solemn piano melody.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 12 Jan. 2026
There, Christmas trees will meet the same fate as the fir tree in Hans Christian Andersen's melancholic tale.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melancholic
Judy Berman, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
Opening with a melancholic harmonica that flirts with a country twang, the track feels unfiltered as Eric Aragón (real name) sings of regret and the sting of love gone wrong.
—Natalia Cano, Billboard, 16 Jan. 2026
The 20-year-old crooned the melancholic record backed solely by a solemn piano melody.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 12 Jan. 2026
There, Christmas trees will meet the same fate as the fir tree in Hans Christian Andersen's melancholic tale.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melancholic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melancholic
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie's Arizona community gathered for a vigil Wednesday evening while the world can't look away from an incident that is deeply, horrifically sad and frightening.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The song is sophisticated and simple, sad and somehow triumphant.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And very plain and simple, just depressed.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
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Nora Ephron for depressed perverts.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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For Adams’ Laura, its restorative properties are compromised by ever-present memories of her unhappy childhood, many of them directly associated with the family’s gorgeous summer house.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
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Competitive equity playoffs There’s still coaches unhappy with the Southern Section competitive equity playoff system using computer algorithms to place teams in divisions.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Not with breaking transfer news but with an umpteenth text asking what was up and, with more melancholy, why more wasn’t up and why everyone was being so frugal.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
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The experience promises to be bracingly new, chaotic, and exciting, but there was inevitably a melancholy tinge to this year’s edition, which became, in effect—and affect—an eleven-day farewell.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Community ‘heartbroken’ over sewage spill Philip Gray used to enjoy paddling down the river in a canoe or floating in an inner tube, beer in hand, toward his home in Cabin John.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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The lyrics emanated from dramatic words and emotions expressed by owner Terry Pegula, football boss Brandon Beane and new head coach about their heartbroken hero.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This season has turned out to be worse than anyone could possibly have imagined, with another injury crisis and truly miserable performances and results under Frank.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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For this Welsh immigrant family rose from nothing to produce an American icon who mastered a distinctly American art form — the ultimate apotheosis of the American Dream — and who is, ironically, the most miserable of them all.—
Ben Croll,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Such memories flowed freely this week on social media and in mournful first-person essays.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
6 Feb. 2026
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Newsom shakes his head, seeming more mournful than angry.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Investigators are buried in leads The influx of tips generated in the case – further fueled by the release this week of footage captured by Guthrie’s doorbell camera – is both good and bad for law enforcement.—
Elizabeth Hartfield,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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But the lack of bigger tax cuts does not inherently make the grocery tax repeal bad.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melancholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melancholic. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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