melancholia
noun
mel·an·cho·lia
| \ Ëme-lÉn-ËkĆ-lÄ-É
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Definition of melancholia
1
: severe depression characterized especially by profound sadness and despair
Tense, irritable, I crashed into a fit of melancholia and found myself crying over inconsequential problems.— Susan Wood A depressed Johnson was not the father figure that Boswell, himself prey to crippling bouts of melancholia and insecurity, wanted to celebrate.— Brooke Allen
2
: a sad quality or mood : melancholy
There's a touching melancholia to his voice ⊗ Ralph Novak Like Wallace's breakthrough novel, "Infinite Jest," "The Pale King" is pervaded by an air of melancholia, an acute sense of loss.— Tom McCarthy
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Other Words from melancholia
melancholiac
\ Ëme-lÉn-ËkĆ-lÄ-Ëak
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noun
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noun
Examples of melancholia in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Our inability to comprehend the reason for our melancholia pushes us further into our subconscious depths, and manifests as a kind of permanent mourning. — Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, "The Stories We Tell, and Donât Tell, About Asian-American Lives," 17 July 2019 Any aggression Madonna feels about her divorceâon this album, at leastâis flushed out by melancholia. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Madonna Released the Ultimate Divorce Album 6 Years AgoâYou Just Didn't Listen," 30 Nov. 2018 Psychotic melancholia sounds horrifying, like a German band that plays an obscure subgenre of death metal. — Yusef Roach, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Communal Experience of Going to the Symphony for the First Time," 31 May 2018 This familiar premise leads to a twist: Instead of adrenaline rush suspense scenes, this plot languishes in mundane melancholia. — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, "Review: In âThe Night Eats the World,â Zombie Apocalypse Now, Again," 12 July 2018 In the London home of Vijay Mallya, a self-exiled liquor tycoon, Mr Crabtree finds a golden toilet seat and melancholia. — The Economist, "The tycoons who are powering Indiaâs rise," 5 July 2018 Although run-down, the beautiful architecture of historic buildings creates a mesmerizing melancholia. — Mosha Lundström Halbert, Vogue, "The Latina Cool Girlâs Guide to Mexico City," 4 June 2018 Basically, a Lars Kepler thriller stops only to fixate on Joonaâs eyes, which distractingly transfix any number of characters who take in this tall hunk of melancholia. — Ken Tucker, New York Times, "âThe Silence of the Lambsâ Goes Nordic Noir," 13 Apr. 2018 For two and a half verses, Chance bathes in his melancholia. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "The Playlist: Hear BeyoncĂ© Join âMi Gente,â Plus 9 More New Songs," 29 Sep. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'melancholia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for melancholia
melancholia
noun
English Language Learners Definition of melancholia
old-fashioned + literary
: a feeling of sadness and depression
See the full definition for melancholia in the English Language Learners Dictionary
melancholia
noun
mel·an·cho·lia
| \ Ëmel-Én-ËkĆ-lÄ-É
\
\
Medical Definition of melancholia
: severe depression characterized especially by profound sadness and despair