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
Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 31 Jan. 2025
Still, the movie ends on a note of melancholy self-reckoning that lingers.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025
Jack Lang, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
The song captures both melancholy and resilience, reflecting Knowles’ mastery of storytelling through song.
—Spin Contributor, SPIN, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melancholy
Adjective
There was jolting violence and savage satire and melancholy that clung to you.
—Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 31 Jan. 2025
Still, the movie ends on a note of melancholy self-reckoning that lingers.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025
Noun
Still, there is an undeniable air of melancholy to his movements since that move.
—Jack Lang, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
The song captures both melancholy and resilience, reflecting Knowles’ mastery of storytelling through song.
—Spin Contributor, SPIN, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melancholy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melancholy
Adjective
-
Oklahoma represents the sad conclusion of the Trail of Tears, and Tulsa serves as the meeting point for tribal nations—the Osage, Muscogee, and Cherokee.—
Nicholas Lalla,
WIRED,
4 Mar. 2025
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Police sad officers began providing aid to Mitchell, but medics later pronounced him dead at the scene.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacramento Bee,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Mass layoffs in the Beltway could force some residents to put their homes up for sale at depressed values, denting the real estate market.—
Matt Egan and Alicia Wallace,
CNN,
25 Feb. 2025
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Examples include formerly depressed but now vibrant cities, such as Pittsburgh, and once stagnant but now relatively successful developing countries, such as Bangladesh and Rwanda.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For Gabrielle, the experience was a reminder of the profound impact of small, thoughtful gestures.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
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By combining modern tools like AI with a thoughtful approach to skills and criteria, organizations can move beyond surface-level signals and discover hidden talent.—
Ishan Gupta,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That depressing fact gets reiterated many times, without much variation or additional insight, during Running Point’s 10-episode season.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
27 Feb. 2025
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In this new techno-dating reality, the number of fights sparked by clothes being left on the floor would dramatically decrease, instead being replaced by not-at-all depressing scenes of men standing alone in their apartments talking to a speaker.—
Nic Juarez,
Vulture,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The Penguins listed Bunting as a healthy scratch early this season because coaches were unhappy with his effort in games and practices.—
Josh Yohe,
The Athletic,
6 Mar. 2025
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Independent distributors are unhappy with the growing percentage of royalty payments for their artists that are too low to be worth processing.—
Bill Rosenblatt,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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When the organization signed rapper Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2019, the performances narrowed further, centering around hip-hop while shunting aside rock, country, pop and other music genres that are also reflective of America’s melting pot.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2025
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The finale might be reflective of LaBruce’s own skepticism, specifically his disdain for large-scale movements that advocate for a tidy future and his preference for the ideas of French philosopher and poet Jean Genet.—
P.E. Moskowitz,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Prolonged, elevated cortisol levels or chronic stress can disrupt these processes, leading to inflammation, chronic pain, depression, and even the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.2 Cortisol levels are meant to slowly decline throughout the day.—
Caitlin Pagán,
Verywell Health,
28 Feb. 2025
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It's being leveraged across industries, from automating routine tasks to addressing challenges like C-suite depression and burnout.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Prospective Xbox players can hear the final version of the haunting, mournful Atlamaha-ha piece in EW’s exclusive reveal of a live-action music video shot for South of Midnight.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
6 Mar. 2025
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In the mournful mid-section, keyboardist Rick Wakeman channels Bach on the pipe organ, recorded at a London church.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Melancholy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melancholy. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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