melancholy

(mĕl'ən-kŏl'ē)
n.

1. Sadness or depression of the spirits; gloom: "There is melancholy in the wind and sorrow in the grass" (Charles Kuralt).
2. Pensive reflection or contemplation.
3. Archaic.
   1. Black bile.
   2. An emotional state characterized by sullenness and outbreaks of violent anger, believed to arise from black bile.

adj.

1. Affected with or marked by depression of the spirits; sad. See synonyms at sad.
2. Tending to promote sadness or gloom: a letter with some melancholy news.
3. Pensive; thoughtful.

[Middle English melancolie, from Old French, from Late Latin melancholia, from Greek melankholiā : melās, melan-, black + kholē, bile.]

melancholily mel'an·chol'i·ly adv.
melancholiness mel'an·chol'i·ness n.

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noun

A feeling or spell of dismally low spirits: blues, dejection, depression, despondence, despondency, doldrums, dolefulness, downheartedness, dumps, dysphoria, funk, gloom, glumness, heavy-heartedness, mope (used in plural), mournfulness, sadness, unhappiness. See feelings, happy/unhappy.

adjective

1. In low spirits: blue, dejected, depressed, desolate, dispirited, down, downcast, downhearted, dull, dysphoric, gloomy, heavy-hearted, low, melancholic, sad, spiritless, tristful, unhappy, wistful. Idioms: downatinthe mouth. See happy/unhappy.
2. Tending to cause sadness or low spirits: blue, cheerless, depressing, dismal, dispiriting, gloomy, joyless, sad. See happy/unhappy.

n

Definition: depression, sadness
Antonyms: cheer, cheerfulness, happiness, joy

IN BRIEF: A state of sadness or unhappiness.

Never give way to melancholy; resist it steadily, for the habit will encroach. — Sydney Smith (1771-1845)

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Quotes:

"Melancholy is at the bottom of everything, just as at the end of all rivers is the sea. Can it be otherwise in a world where nothing lasts, where all that we have loved or shall love must die? Is death, then, the secret of life? The gloom of an eternal mourning enwraps, more or less closely, every serious and thoughtful soul, as night enwraps the universe." - Henri Frederic Amiel

"Melancholy, indeed, should be diverted by every means but drinking." - Samuel Johnson

"Sweet bird, that shun the noise of folly, most musical, most melancholy!" - John Milton

For a list of words related to melancholy, see:

• Sad, Serious, Pessimistic, or Discontented

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See words rhyming with "melancholy."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Melancholy.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - melankoli, tungsind, sørgmodighed
adj. - melankolsk

Nederlands (Dutch)
melancholie, weemoed, zwaarmoedigheid, melancholisch, droefgeestig, zwaarmoedig

Français (French)
n. - mélancolie
adj. - mélancolique

Deutsch (German)
n. - Melancholie, Schwermut
adj. - melancholisch, schwermütig

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μελαγχολία
adj. - μελαγχολικός

Italiano (Italian)
malinconia, nostalgia, tristezza, malinconico

Português (Portuguese)
n. - melancolia (f)
adj. - melancólico

Русский (Russian)
уныние, мрачный

Español (Spanish)
n. - tristeza, nostalgia, morriña, desolación, melancolía
adj. - melancólico, triste, deprimente, que causa tristeza o depresión

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - melankoli
adj. - melankolisk, sorglig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
忧郁, 愁思, 悲哀, 忧郁的, 愁思的, 使人悲伤的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 憂鬱, 愁思, 悲哀
adj. - 憂鬱的, 愁思的, 使人悲傷的

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 침울
adj. - 슬픈, 우울하게 하는

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 憂鬱, 沈思, 黒胆汁, 黒胆汁質
adj. - 憂鬱な, 物思いに沈んだ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) كئيب, حزين (صفه) سودوائي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מלנכוליה, מרה שחורה‬
adj. - ‮מדכא, מדוכא, עצוב‬

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