'Melancholy' definitions:
Definition of 'melancholy'
(from WordNet)
adjective
Characterized by or causing or expressing sadness; "growing more melancholy every hour"; "her melancholic smile"; "we acquainted him with the melancholy truth" [syn: melancholy, melancholic]
adjective
Grave or even gloomy in character; "solemn and mournful music"; "a suit of somber black"; "a somber mood" [syn: somber, sombre, melancholy]
noun
A feeling of thoughtful sadness
noun
A constitutional tendency to be gloomy and depressed
noun
A humor that was once believed to be secreted by the kidneys or spleen and to cause sadness and melancholy [syn: black bile, melancholy]
Definition of 'Melancholy'
From: GCIDE
- Melancholy \Mel"an*chol*y\, n. [OE. melancolie, F. m['e]lancolie, L. melancholia, fr. Gr. ?; me`las, me`lanos, black + ? gall, bile. See Malice, and 1st Gall.] [1913 Webster]
- 1. Depression of spirits; a gloomy state continuing a considerable time; deep dejection; gloominess. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Great and continued depression of spirits, amounting to mental unsoundness; melancholia. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Pensive maditation; serious thoughtfulness. [Obs.] "Hail, divinest Melancholy !" --Milton. [1913 Webster]
- 4. Ill nature. [Obs.] --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Melancholy'
From: GCIDE
- Melancholy \Mel"an*chol*y\, a.
- 1. Depressed in spirits; dejected; gloomy dismal. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Producing great evil and grief; causing dejection; calamitous; afflictive; as, a melancholy event. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Somewhat deranged in mind; having the jugment impaired. [Obs.] --Bp. Reynolds. [1913 Webster]
- 4. Favorable to meditation; somber. [1913 Webster]
- A pretty, melancholy seat, well wooded and watered. --Evelin. [1913 Webster]
- Syn: Gloomy; sad; dispirited; low-spirited; downhearted; unhappy; hypochondriac; disconsolate; heavy, doleful; dismal; calamitous; afflictive. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'melancholy'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- absorption,
- abstraction,
- aching heart,
- agony,
- agony of mind,
- anguish,
- atrabiliar,
- atrabilious,
- bale,
- beetle-browed,
- bitterness,
- black,
- black-browed,
- blase,
- bleeding heart,
- blue,
- blues,
- boredness,
- boredom,
- bouderie,
- broken heart,
- brown study,
- cheerless,
- cheerlessness,
- close study,
- concentration,
- contemplativeness,
- crestfallen,
- crushing,
- dark,
- deep thought,
- dejected,
- dejectedness,
- dejection,
- depressed,
- depressing,
- depression,
- depth of misery,
- desolation,
- despair,
- desperation,
- despondency,
- despondent,
- discomposing,
- disconsolate,
- disconsolateness,
- dismal,
- dispirited,
- dispiritedness,
- disquieting,
- disturbing,
- doleful,
- dolor,
- dolorous,
- dour,
- downcast,
- downhearted,
- downheartedness,
- dreary,
- dumpish,
- dumpishness,
- dumps,
- engrossment,
- ennui,
- extremity,
- fed-up,
- fed-upness,
- forlorn,
- frowning,
- funereal,
- funky,
- gentle melancholy,
- gloom,
- gloominess,
- gloomy,
- glowering,
- glum,
- glumness,
- good and tired,
- grief,
- grim,
- grimness,
- grum,
- grumness,
- heartache,
- heartbroken,
- heavy heart,
- heavyhearted,
- heavyheartedness,
- infelicity,
- irked,
- jaded,
- jadedness,
- joyless,
- lachrymose,
- lamentable,
- life-weariness,
- life-weary,
- low,
- low-spirited,
- lowering,
- lugubrious,
- lugubriousness,
- melancholia,
- melancholic,
- melancholiness,
- miserable,
- miserableness,
- misery,
- moanful,
- moodiness,
- moodish,
- moodishness,
- moody,
- mopey,
- moping,
- mopish,
- mopishness,
- morose,
- moroseness,
- mournful,
- mournfulness,
- mumpish,
- musing,
- pensive,
- pensiveness,
- perturbing,
- plaintive,
- preoccupation,
- profound thought,
- prostration,
- reflective,
- reflectiveness,
- reverie,
- romantic melancholy,
- rueful,
- sad,
- saddened,
- saddening,
- sadness,
- satiated,
- satiation,
- satiety,
- scowling,
- sick,
- sick of,
- somber,
- sombrous,
- sorrow,
- sorrowful,
- sorrowfulness,
- sorry,
- speculativeness,
- spleen,
- splenetic,
- study,
- suicidal despair,
- sulkiness,
- sulky,
- sullen,
- sullenness,
- surliness,
- surly,
- taedium vitae,
- tedium,
- thoughtful,
- thoughtfulness,
- tired,
- tired of,
- tired of living,
- tired to death,
- tiredness,
- triste,
- tristful,
- tristfulness,
- unhappiness,
- unhappy,
- wailful,
- wearied,
- weariful,
- wearifulness,
- weariness,
- weary,
- weary unto death,
- wistful,
- wistfulness,
- woe,
- woebegone,
- woeful,
- woefulness,
- world-weariness,
- world-weary,
- wretchedness