melancholic
adjective
mel·an·chol·ic
ˌme-lən-ˈkä-lik 
1
: of, relating to, or subject to melancholy : depressed
2
: of or relating to melancholia
3
: tending to depress the spirits : saddening
melancholic
noun
Synonyms
- bad
- blue
- brokenhearted
- cast down
- crestfallen
- dejected
- depressed
- despondent
- disconsolate
- doleful
- down
- down in the mouth
- downcast
- downhearted
- droopy
- forlorn
- gloomy
- glum
- hangdog
- heartbroken
- heartsick
- heartsore
- heavyhearted
- inconsolable
- joyless
- low
- low-spirited
- melancholy
- miserable
- mournful
- sad
- saddened
- sorrowful
- sorry
- unhappy
- woebegone
- woeful
- wretched
Examples of melancholic in a Sentence
she becomes quite melancholic when she reflects on all the lost opportunities of her life
Recent Examples on the Web
Open on a tidy suburban street rendered melancholic by snowfall.
—
Bruce Handy, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024
The synthesizers are sparse, the bass lines are minimal, the drums are somehow loose and sturdy at once, while the energy shifts from melancholic to serious to hypnotic to playful in the span of an hour.
—Vox Staff, Vox, 23 Dec. 2024
Brian Wilson’s vocals are dreamy and eerily melancholic, and the harmonies sound as if they were sung into a deep chasm.
—Emma Madden, Vulture, 23 Dec. 2024
Zauner says she was also influenced by the work of painters Caspar David Friedrich and Edgar Degas and the melancholic world-building of the novel Wuthering Heights.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 7 Jan. 2025
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Bruce Handy, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2024
The synthesizers are sparse, the bass lines are minimal, the drums are somehow loose and sturdy at once, while the energy shifts from melancholic to serious to hypnotic to playful in the span of an hour.
—Vox Staff, Vox, 23 Dec. 2024
Brian Wilson’s vocals are dreamy and eerily melancholic, and the harmonies sound as if they were sung into a deep chasm.
—Emma Madden, Vulture, 23 Dec. 2024
Zauner says she was also influenced by the work of painters Caspar David Friedrich and Edgar Degas and the melancholic world-building of the novel Wuthering Heights.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for melancholic
Articles Related to melancholic
Dictionary Entries Near melancholic
Cite this Entry
“Melancholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melancholic. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
melancholic
1 of 2 adjective
mel·an·chol·ic
ˌmel-ən-ˈkäl-ik
1
: of, relating to, or subject to melancholy : depressed
2
: of or relating to melancholia
melancholic
2 of 2 noun1
: a melancholy person
2
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