Word Frequency
melancholy (ˈmɛlənkəlɪ
)
Definitions
noun
(plural) -cholies- a constitutional tendency to gloominess or depression
- a sad thoughtful state of mind; pensiveness
- (archaic)
- a gloomy character, thought to be caused by too much black bile
- one of the four bodily humours; black bile See humour (sense 8)
adjective
- characterized by, causing, or expressing sadness, dejection, etc
Derived Forms
melancholily (ˈmɛlənˌkɒlɪlɪ
) adverbˈmelanˌcholiness noun
Word Origin
C14: via Old French from Late Latin melancholia, from Greek melankholia, from melas black + kholē bileSynonyms
View thesaurus entry = sad, down, depressed, unhappy, low, blue, miserable, moody, gloomy, dismal, sombre, woeful, glum, mournful, dejected, despondent, dispirited, melancholic, downcast, lugubrious, pensive, sorrowful, disconsolate, joyless, doleful, downhearted, heavy-hearted, down in the dumps, woebegone, down in the mouth, low-spirited,
= sadness, depression, misery, gloom, sorrow, woe, blues, unhappiness, despondency, the hump, dejection, low spirits, gloominess, pensiveness,
Translations for 'melancholy'
- British English: melancholy You describe something that you see or hear as melancholy when it gives you an intense feeling of sadness. ADJECTIVE...a painter of haunting melancholy canvases.
- Brazilian Portuguese: melancólico
- Chinese: 忧郁的忧憂郁鬱的
- European Spanish: melancólico melancólica
- French: mélancolique
- German: melancholisch
- Italian: malinconico malinconica
- Japanese: 物悲しい
- Korean: 우울한
- Portuguese: melancólico melancólica
- Spanish: melancólico melancólica
Example Sentences Including 'melancholy'
Burnell's melancholy was deepened by a sense of having fallen off a wall.Somewhere East of Life
But they also cater to our sentimental side, the droning of the pipes conveying the melancholy of our favourite laments.Glasgow Herald (2001)
Consequently, he frequently displayed a zest for life to be then plunged into profound melancholy.THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)
Her moods are subject to undercurrents of despair and she has honed her sense of Nordic melancholy to a very fine art indeed.Times, Sunday Times (2001)
Lady Rice was humming to herself somewhere else; some sad, melancholy tune.Splitting
Mr. Chavez's face has the long nose and melancholy air of a pre-Columbian carving.Globe and Mail (2003)
The man continued to eye her, his expression almost melancholy.Riot
The single sentence worth preserving deals with the ` melancholy of relationships past".New Scientist (1998)
This Happy Life (Tuesday, 11: 30 p. m.) is a profoundly moving portrait of Mr. Fu, who may be the most melancholy man in the world.Globe and Mail (2003)
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