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

The video starts with a melancholic Gomez laying on the couch of a home covered in linens. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 21 Mar. 2025

West Orlando’s Pig the Gemini isn’t new to the melancholic pianos and wounded melodies that permeate the South. —Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 14 Mar. 2025

The standout early releases of 2025 are those that exude greater focus: a melancholic sci-fi game brought to life through die-rolling chance, the thrill of seeing prehistoric behemoths roam a teeming fantasy realm. —Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025

The film, despite grossing just under $5 million in the U.S. against a $9 million budget, later became of a cult classic that was synonymous with the melancholic realization that teenage longing and ennui can extend into adulthood. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2025

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

Rhymes for melancholic

• alcoholic
• anabolic
• apostolic
• catabolic
• cytosolic
• diabolic
• diastolic
• ethanolic
• hyperbolic
• metabolic
• methanolic
• parabolic

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