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
Daniel D'addario, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
Although the play has its melancholy moments, Shakina doesn’t dwell on them.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 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
Hunnam’s communion with Gein is far greater than the sum of its parts — an actor-subject duet that generates tension, fear and melancholy too.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
Although the play has its melancholy moments, Shakina doesn’t dwell on them.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Sep. 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
-
One purveyor of fairy tales that wasn’t afraid of a sad ending?—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Sade Bess, a Combs fan from Brooklyn, left the court’s overflow observation room looking both sad and relieved.—
Jennifer Peltz,
Fortune,
3 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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Coordinating your exhales with the pressing, depressing, pulling and lifting phases of these exercises enhances activation of the scapular stabilizing muscles and reinforces proper rib cage alignment.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
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Closing The Gap The racial wealth gap in America remains depressing, and homeownership is one of the clearest indicators of it.—
Essence,
Essence,
1 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
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His reflective blue shades were perched atop a baseball cap, obscuring much of his face.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
6 Oct. 2025
-
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 10 Oct. 2025.
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