1
a
of a fruit
: tender and sweet because of ripeness
b
of a wine
: well aged and pleasingly mild
2
a
: made gentle by age or experience
She was a tough and demanding teacher, but she became mellow in her old age.
b
: rich and full but free from garishness or stridency
the mellow tones of an old violin
c
: warmed and relaxed by or as if by liquor
After a few drinks we felt pretty mellow.
e
: laid-back
mellow background music
3
of soil
: having a soft and loamy consistency
mellowly
adverb
mellowness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of mellow in a Sentence
Adjective
The painting captures the mellow light of a summer evening.
This wine is very mellow.
He was in a mellow mood.
She was a tough and demanding teacher, but she became mellower in her old age.
He's a very mellow guy.
After a couple of drinks we all started feeling pretty mellow.
Verb
She was a tough and demanding teacher, but she has mellowed in her old age.
The wine needs time to mellow.
She was a tough and demanding teacher, but old age has mellowed her.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
But technical boating is a far cry from my mellow paddling experience.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 2 Apr. 2024
If the great outdoors still beckons, the property offers acres of hiking trails and the Boswell Botany Trail.
10 Best Places to See Fall Foliage in Vermont
Manchester is known for its mellow vibe, and after a full day of gallivanting, a low-key evening will feel good.
—Kira Turnbull, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024
Carter described himself as energetic and full of emotions, while Valentin described himself as mellow and calm.
—Jenny Rudolph, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
While the director brings an impressively sensitive touch, the film can feel too mellow at times when the two seem to be talking in circles, en route to a sense of inner peace.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
But her excellent plum spirit has a mellower side, having spent time in oak for at least 18 months, giving it the deep color and graceful complexity of French vieille prune from Gascony.
—Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
The female singer was good, for sure, but the song was quite mellow, a refined studio version.
—Jim Clash, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
Arizona is known for its mellow wintertime weather appealing to snowbirds seeking a reprieve from freezing conditions.
—Eshaan Sarup, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
The strong, pungent quality of fresh garlic mellows quickly in the oven, and the result is toasty bits of garlic clinging to every cheesy bite of asparagus.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
Cucumbers add a welcome crunch to this refreshing summer salad, mellowing and cooling the mix of ingredients.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2023
As the clementine mellowed, the honey note is what stood out to my nose.
—Jihan Forbes, Allure, 21 Dec. 2023
Add movement and dimension with mid-length and long layers, which will mellow the squareness of the face.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2023
The whiskey was charcoal mellowed before entering barrels, aka the Lincoln County process during which the new make spirit is filtered through ten feet of hard sugar maple charcoal made on the distillery grounds.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2023
Cut to 37 years later, in 2007, when it’s immediately established that Flynt, now working in the construction business, has not mellowed, getting into a fistfight at a work site.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Nov. 2023
But the book’s final stretch is also the story of how Reed mellowed.
—Jeremy Lybarger, The New Republic, 17 Oct. 2023
Adjective
Spotlight Cheese brings nutty and fruity notes for a mellow creamy addition to your snack.
—Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
But technical boating is a far cry from my mellow paddling experience.
—Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 2 Apr. 2024
If the great outdoors still beckons, the property offers acres of hiking trails and the Boswell Botany Trail.
10 Best Places to See Fall Foliage in Vermont
Manchester is known for its mellow vibe, and after a full day of gallivanting, a low-key evening will feel good.
—Kira Turnbull, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024
Carter described himself as energetic and full of emotions, while Valentin described himself as mellow and calm.
—Jenny Rudolph, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
While the director brings an impressively sensitive touch, the film can feel too mellow at times when the two seem to be talking in circles, en route to a sense of inner peace.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
But her excellent plum spirit has a mellower side, having spent time in oak for at least 18 months, giving it the deep color and graceful complexity of French vieille prune from Gascony.
—Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
The female singer was good, for sure, but the song was quite mellow, a refined studio version.
—Jim Clash, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
Arizona is known for its mellow wintertime weather appealing to snowbirds seeking a reprieve from freezing conditions.
—Eshaan Sarup, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
Verb
Intense flashes of stellar productivity still appear now and then in nearby (that is, more recent) pockets of space, but by and large the cosmos have mellowed.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
The strong, pungent quality of fresh garlic mellows quickly in the oven, and the result is toasty bits of garlic clinging to every cheesy bite of asparagus.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
Cucumbers add a welcome crunch to this refreshing summer salad, mellowing and cooling the mix of ingredients.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2023
As the clementine mellowed, the honey note is what stood out to my nose.
—Jihan Forbes, Allure, 21 Dec. 2023
Add movement and dimension with mid-length and long layers, which will mellow the squareness of the face.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2023
The whiskey was charcoal mellowed before entering barrels, aka the Lincoln County process during which the new make spirit is filtered through ten feet of hard sugar maple charcoal made on the distillery grounds.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2023
Cut to 37 years later, in 2007, when it’s immediately established that Flynt, now working in the construction business, has not mellowed, getting into a fistfight at a work site.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Nov. 2023
But the book’s final stretch is also the story of how Reed mellowed.
—Jeremy Lybarger, The New Republic, 17 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mellow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to mellow
Dictionary Entries Near mellow
Cite this Entry
“Mellow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mellow. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mellow
1 of 2 adjective
mel·low
ˈmel-ō 
1
a
: tender and sweet because of ripeness
mellow peaches
b
: well aged and pleasingly mild
a mellow wine
2
a
: made gentle by age or experience
developed a mellow disposition from caring for his grandchildren
b
: pleasant sense 1, agreeable
mellow sounds
c
: laid-back
a mellow personality
3
: being soft and crumbly
mellow soil
4
: being clear, full, and pure
spoke in mellow tones
mellowly
adverb
mellowness
noun
mellow
2 of 2 verb
: to make or become mellow
old houses, weather-beaten and mellowed by time
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