What does "melancholic" mean?
A person who is habitually melancholy.
Melancholic
adj, noun
adj, noun ·4 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person who is habitually melancholy.
- Grammar: melancholic is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: ambivert, atrabiliar, atrabilious, black.
- Useful contrasts: bright, cheerful, cheerful person.
- Usage evidence: Sometimes he's happy, sometimes melancholic.
How to use "melancholic"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "melancholic" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "melancholic" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "melancholic" as the right word for your sentence.
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Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "melancholic" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ambivert" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "melancholic", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person who is habitually melancholy.
"Kafka, Hart Crane, Jackson Pollock, Tennessee Williams, Mark Rothko, melancholics all, so why shouldn’t we accept our own bleakness and take long walks in the winter woods and look at the gnarled limbs of trees and struggle with the inscrutable and accept the beauty of permanent turmoil?"
- 2 someone subject to melancholia wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Filled with or affected by melancholy—great sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
"Just as the melancholic eye / Sees fleets and armies in the sky."
- 2 Pertaining to black bile (melancholy). dated
- 3 Pertaining to the melancholic temperament or its associated personality traits.
Adjective
- 1 characterized by or causing or expressing sadness wordnet
Example
"Sometimes he's happy, sometimes melancholic."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "melancholic"?
Common synonyms include: ambivert, atrabiliar, atrabilious, black, blase, bleak.
How do you use "melancholic" in a sentence?
Sometimes he's happy, sometimes melancholic.
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.