Word meaning
melancholy
noun · MEL-un-kol-ee
What does melancholy mean?
Melancholy means a deep, pensive, and long-lasting sadness.
Melancholy in a sentence
“A gentle melancholy hung over the empty beach town in winter.”
Synonyms for melancholy
- sadness
- sorrow
- gloom
Where does melancholy come from?
From Greek melas, "black," and kholē, "bile," once thought to cause sadness.
How to remember melancholy
- Say it out loud a few times: MEL-un-kol-ee.
- Write one sentence of your own using melancholy, about something that happened to you today.
- Quiz yourself tomorrow, in three days, and next week. Spaced reviews are what make new words stick.
More words worth knowing
- bequeath — to leave property to someone in a will; to pass something on.
- scrupulous — diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details; very concerned to avoid doing wrong.
- punctilious — showing great attention to detail or correct behavior.
- caustic — sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way; also, able to burn by chemical action.
- complacent — showing uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements.
- juxtapose — to place two things side by side, especially to compare or contrast them.