English Explanatory Dictionary

melancholic

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Filled with or affected by melancholy—great sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
  2. Pertaining to black bile (melancholy).
  3. Pertaining to the melancholic temperament or its associated personality traits.
noun
  1. A person who is habitually melancholy.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-melancholic.wav

Word forms

melancholic more melancholic most melancholic melancholick melancholicke melancholike melancholics

Etymology

From Latin melancholicus, from Ancient Greek μελαγχολικός (melankholikós, “atrabilious, impulsive, of atrabilious or melancholic temperament”), from μελαγχολία (melankholía, “melancholy”). By surface analysis, melancholy + -ic.

Synonyms

miserable despondent atrabiliary atrabilious blitheless dispirited blue bummed out chapfallen cheerless chopfallen crestfallen cut up damp dejected depressed disgruntled disconsolate disheartened dismal doleful dolesome down down in the dumps down in the mouth downcast downhearted downsome dull elegiac elegious forlorn gloomy glum grief-stricken grieving heavy-hearted heartsore heartsick inconsolable infelicitous jawfallen joyless lachrymose lamentful low low-spirited lugubrious lumpish melancholic melancholy moody mopey morose mournful passionate plaintive Plutonian Plutonic querulous

Derived words

antimelancholic melancholically nonmelancholic unmelancholic
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