as in sad
feeling unhappiness
she becomes quite melancholic when she reflects on all the lost opportunities of her life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of melancholic
The melancholic project plays like a farewell.
—
Kim Willis, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
Her most memorable role, however, was her subversive take on wife Linda Loman in Broadway’s 1999 Death of a Salesman production opposite Brian Dennehy’s melancholic traveling salesman Willy Loman.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 15 Nov. 2025
Tsypkin’s account of dramatic summer of gambling and deathbed prayers is accompanied by his own melancholic photographs of nondescript walls and windows, taken on a research trip to Leningrad.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Stephen Frears’s Gothic drama is, to be fair, rather watchable — atmospheric and melancholic, with John Malkovich clearly getting a kick out of chewing any and all available scenery.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melancholic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melancholic
Adjective
-
In Democratic cities, people demand 38 meetings and three dozen environmental assessments before tearing down a crack den to build a nursery for sad orphans.—
-
Although there are infinitely many happy numbers there are also infinitely many sad ones.—
Adjective
-
Countries such as the Netherlands and Canada that passed similar bills have gone on to expand this type of legislation to allow doctors to give lethal medication to the depressed and other people with mental illnesses.—
-
Yes, our political leaders have given some of us reason to be resentful, cynical and even depressed.—
Adjective
-
This is a no-win situation because one of us will end up unhappy.—
-
The automaker spent much of the year undoing decisions made by the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, who resigned at the end of 2024, as stakeholders in the company — from dealers to union rank and file — were upset with him and unhappy with his leadership.—
Adjective
-
Cookie cravings, a tinge of melancholy, and the urge to hibernate and fix your life all at once.—
-
There is a note of melancholy associated with the former house, as the dormitory long bore the name of a student, Emily Cluett, who had caught the flu more than a century ago and died.—
Adjective
-
After Anna disappeared, Alice was heartbroken.—
-
A day after the shooting, Chez’s heartbroken parents proclaimed at a press conference outside the 101st Precinct stationhouse in Far Rockaway that their son posed no threat.—
Adjective
-
On a tour full of reasons to be miserable, England will leave Australia with at least one ray of light for the future.—
-
The series centers around Timmy Turner, a miserable 10-year-old whose life improves significantly after he is given two fairy godparents named Wanda and Cosmo.—
Adjective
-
This internal struggle is portrayed with raw honesty, focusing on the darker, mournful corners of humanity that inspired the record’s lyrics.—
-
Other tracks channel the mournful energy of the most political ’70s dub.—
Adjective
-
Iran is facing its worst drought in decades, raising fears of evacuations in Tehran while threatening the regime’s stability and nuclear ambitions, according to a leading environmental expert.—
-
Keeping bad things out of my body.—
Cite this Entry
“Melancholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melancholic. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share