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

Mostafa Ibrahim, melancholic poet of the Egyptian revolution, penned the lyrics, which bristle with quiet fury as Eid’s calm delivery builds into a soaring climax. —Sara Ibrahim, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2024

This week, Halsey has a rock-heavy ego trip, A$AP Rocky taps J. Cole for a melancholic mediation, and Camila Cabello wishes her ex well on a deluxe track from her recent C,XOXO. —Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2024

As such a deeply melancholic affect is baked into the film’s existential prognosis, identifying its makers as men not machines. —Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2024

The director wrote the lyrics for each number (Josh Schmidt composed the music) and most of them are somber and melancholic. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English malencolic, melancolyk "consisting of or caused by black bile, irascible, gloomy," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French melancolique, borrowed from Latin melancholicus, borrowed from Greek melancholikós, from melancholía "black bile, melancholy entry 1" + -ikos -ic entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical 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 noun

1

: a melancholy person

2

: melancholiac