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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of melancholy
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
But while her previous pictures never shied away from tenderness despite their outré scenarios, her latest is a far more melancholy affair.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival comes to a close this weekend, but every screening has felt tinged with melancholy.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melancholy
Adjective
With his head bowed and gaze fixed, the golden retriever looks less like a pet on a routine car ride and more like a main character in a melancholy music video.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
But while her previous pictures never shied away from tenderness despite their outré scenarios, her latest is a far more melancholy affair.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
Fanning’s name was the first called when nominations were announced, signaling that Scandinavian melancholy would be notably absent that morning.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival comes to a close this weekend, but every screening has felt tinged with melancholy.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melancholy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melancholy
Adjective
-
And there is a beautiful human element to it that is kind of, at its core, a little sad.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The vlogger Jordan Cheyenne, for one, wrecked her sharenting career by accidentally posting footage of herself coaching her son, who was distraught over the family’s sick puppy, to make a specific kind of sad face for YouTube.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Single bunnies can be lonely and depressed.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There was also research, which Meta eventually halted, implying that people who curbed their use of Facebook became less depressed and anxious.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Wiener is a thoughtful lawmaker who championed groundbreaking housing-deregulation laws, but in this case that San Francisco progressive won out.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The best Mother’s Day gift ideas aren’t always the most obvious—they’re the ones that feel personal, thoughtful, and just a little indulgent.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lane takes his place among the best, his Willy Loman a powder keg of frustration and disappointment and deep, deep sadness.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Underneath the fantastical conceit is this current of sadness, of loneliness, a yearning for connection.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Sam Levinson’s vision of a woman’s life is pretty depressing.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In his teaching, Weil conveyed his love for Russian literature’s very lengthy — and at times dark and depressing — novels with enthusiasm and aplomb, colleagues recalled.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As society gal Rose DeWitt Bukater, Melissa Barrera has freewheeling fun with Kate Winslett’s unhappy bride-to-be character.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
-
People on my block were unhappy, and block association president was unhappy.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Made of reflective material, this leash assures the safety of both you and your pet when the sun goes down.—
Christina Shepherd McGuire,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Kovács, who is more reflective in person than his bulldog persona online, told me that Hungary’s election system is secure.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Make gentle depressions with your fingertips to create ¼-inch-deep divots.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
12 Apr. 2026
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One of the bills would create a pilot program for psychedelic or psilocybin mushrooms to be used in medicine for the treatment of mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression.—
Esme Murphy,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melancholy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melancholy. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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