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
Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
But Wednesday’s report about the parking fees quickly backfiring should turn this melancholy into fury.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026
The Spiritual Sound Marc-André Hamelin, Found Objects / Sound Objects
The Beths, Straight Line Was a Lie
A year like no other, my 2025 in music was filled with joyous arias and madrigals of melancholy.
—Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melancholy
Adjective
With burly melancholy, Wong plays Ah Tseng, a Chinese migrant worker employed — with his young nephews — in the Rock Springs coal mines, though introduced on an idle day off in their makeshift camp.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
But Wednesday’s report about the parking fees quickly backfiring should turn this melancholy into fury.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
Cookie cravings, a tinge of melancholy, and the urge to hibernate and fix your life all at once.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026
The Spiritual Sound Marc-André Hamelin, Found Objects / Sound Objects
The Beths, Straight Line Was a Lie
A year like no other, my 2025 in music was filled with joyous arias and madrigals of melancholy.
—Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melancholy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melancholy
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie's Arizona community gathered for a vigil Wednesday evening while the world can't look away from an incident that is deeply, horrifically sad and frightening.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The song is sophisticated and simple, sad and somehow triumphant.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Our bull thesis was based on the stock’s price-to-earnings multiple re-rating higher from a depressed valuation after the spin.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The latter initially presents in Ferrari yellow until its depressed into the central console, at which point the key turns black, the top of the glass shifter turns yellow, and all the instrumentation activates.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The trend toward a more sustainable Mardi Gras has been growing for years and includes a small but growing variety of more thoughtful throws like food, soaps and sunglasses.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
-
This essay came with critical comments, too, and most of those ignored the fact that Charli has been trying to have more thoughtful conversations about pop music, consumption, and celebrity for years online.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Get ready for tears – of sadness, of fear, and of laughter.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
-
That's my sadness around that game.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Firstly, the jail is depressing and the people who work there are not always nice, particularly to reporters.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Despite this, black-market Stingers have had a depressing tendency to surface in conflicts around the world.—
David Szondy
February 08,
New Atlas,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Many people have a profound attachment to suffering and staying in unhappy relationships and so a lot of my work is trying to figure out why.—
Daisy Jones,
Vogue,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The day after the Super Bowl, some people are guaranteed to be unhappy.—
Mike Snider,
AZCentral.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Sweat If the film looks moist and the surfaces looks reflective, that’s exactly the look Fennell and Davies were going for.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Congress should take a practical, comprehensive approach that strengthens border security while creating an immigration system that is orderly, humane, and reflective of our values.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Next, using a statistical tool known as a Cox regression model, the researchers equalized the participants based on factors such as age, smoking status, BMI, physical activity, alcohol intake, depression, family history of dementia, medication use and more.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 Feb. 2026
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His relationship with Serena developed during his wife’s battle with depression.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melancholy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melancholy. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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