melancholy

American  

[mel-uhn-kol-ee] / ˈmɛl ənˌkɒl i /

noun

plural

melancholies

1. a gloomy state of mind, especially when habitual or prolonged; depression.

   Synonyms:

   despondency, dejection, sadness

   Antonyms:

   happiness, cheer

2. sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.

   Synonyms:

   seriousness

3. Archaic.

   1. the condition of having too much black bile, considered in ancient and medieval medicine to cause gloominess and depression.

   2. black bile.

---

adjective

1. affected with, characterized by, or showing melancholy; mournful; depressed.

   a melancholy mood.

   Synonyms:

   downcast, glum, doleful, dismal, sorrowful, dispirited, blue, despondent, gloomy

2. causing melancholy or sadness; saddening.

   a melancholy occasion.

   Antonyms:

   happy

3. soberly thoughtful; pensive.

   Synonyms:

   serious

melancholy British  

/ ˈmɛlənˌkɒlɪlɪ, ˈmɛlənkəlɪ /

noun

1. a constitutional tendency to gloominess or depression

2. a sad thoughtful state of mind; pensiveness

3. archaic

   1. a gloomy character, thought to be caused by too much black bile

   2. one of the four bodily humours; black bile See humour

---

adjective

1. characterized by, causing, or expressing sadness, dejection, etc

Other Word Forms

• melancholily adverb
• melancholiness noun
• unmelancholy adjective

Etymology

Origin of melancholy

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English melancholie, from Late Latin melancholia, from Greek melancholía ”condition of having black bile,” equivalent to melan- “black” + chol(ḗ) “bile, gall” + -ia noun suffix; see origin at melan(o)-, chol-, -ia

Explanation

Melancholy is beyond sad: as a noun or an adjective, it's a word for the gloomiest of spirits. Being melancholy means that you're overcome in sorrow, wrapped up in sorrowful thoughts. The word started off as a noun for deep sadness, from a rather disgusting source. Back in medieval times, people thought that secretions of the body called "humors" determined their feelings, so a depressed person was thought to have too much of the humor known as melancholy — literally "black bile" secreted from the spleen. Fortunately, we no longer think we're ruled by our spleens, and that black bile has been replaced by another color of sorrow: the "blues."

Example Sentences

In a beautifully melancholy story, the author tells of finding a machine named Paragon in a pool hall and setting himself the target of achieving the highest score just short of rolling the machine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

He scored a Top 20 hit in 2012 with the melancholy single Overload.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

Not all makeovers were created equal: Some were in service to disappearing, others to fitting in; some were manic and others melancholy.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2026

Near the start of “All That’s Left of You,” an elderly mother addresses the camera, her eyes melancholy but her face determined.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

Papa’s smile didn’t change the melancholy in his eyes as he reached up to put his hand over hers.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Related Words

• boredom
• despair
• desperation
• despondency
• ennui
• gloom
• grief
• sorrow
• wistfulness