What does "mellow" mean?
The property of being mellow; mellowness.
Mellow
/ˈmɛləʊ/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The property of being mellow; mellowness.
- Grammar: mellow is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: achingly sweet, addled, advance, affable.
- Useful contrasts: aggravate, barky, brassier.
- Usage evidence: The mellow sounds of the Rhodes piano are partly responsible for thousands of accidental conceptions.
How to use "mellow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mellow" 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 "mellow" 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 "mellow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mellow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
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.
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mellow" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 The property of being mellow; mellowness. US, informal
- 2 A comfortable or relaxed mood. US, informal, specifically
"Yet, conversely, some people searched for the mellow […] Hope for flower power had faded, though the journey into the mellow did not represent idealism; rather, it spelled escape— […]"
- 3 Also main mellow: a close friend or lover. US, informal
"I've got attractions like I'm Elvis Costello / Adam Yauch grab the mic 'cause you know you're my mellow"
Verb
- 1 To cause (fruit) to become soft or tender, specifically by ripening. US, informal, transitive
"Then Olives, ground in Mills, their fatneſs boaſt, / And Winter Fruits are mellow'd by the Froſt."
- 2 make or grow (more) mellow wordnet
- 3 To cause (food or drink, for example, cheese or wine, or its flavour) to become matured and smooth, and not acidic, harsh, or sharp. US, informal, transitive
- 4 become more relaxed, easygoing, or genial wordnet
- 5 To soften (land or soil) and make it suitable for planting in. US, informal, regional, transitive
"This City is built of white Sun-burnt brickes, is watered with a ſmall ſtreame, which runs in two parts through the Towne, and meloes moſt of the Gardens and Groues within her, whereby ſhee yeelds a thankfull tribute of ſundry fruits."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 soften, make mellow wordnet
- 7 To reduce or remove the harshness or roughness from (something); to soften, to subdue, to tone down. US, figuratively, informal, transitive
"VVas thought-exceeding glorification, ſuch a cloyance and cumber vnto me, that I muſt leaue it: as Archeſilaus ouer-melodied, and too-much melovved & ſugred with ſvveet tunes, turned them aſide, and cauſed his ears to be nevv reliſhed vvith harſh ſovver and vnſauory ſounds?"
- 8 To cause (a person) to become calmer, gentler, and more understanding, particularly from age or experience. US, figuratively, informal, transitive
"The fervour of early feeling is tempered and mellowed by the ripeness of age."
- 9 To cause (a person) to become slightly or pleasantly drunk or intoxicated. US, figuratively, informal, transitive
"In the course of the day [Manuel] Lisa undertook to tamper with the faith of Pierre Dorion [Jr.], and, inviting him on board of his boat, regaled him with his favorite whiskey. When he thought him sufficiently mellowed, he proposed to him to quit the service of his new employers and return to his old allegiance."
- 10 Followed by out: to relax (a person); in particular, to cause (a person) to become pleasantly high or stoned by taking drugs. US, also, figuratively, informal, reflexive, transitive
- 11 To mature and lose its harshness or sharpness. US, informal, intransitive
- 12 To be rendered soft and suitable for planting in. US, informal, intransitive, regional
- 13 To lose harshness; to become gentler, subdued, or toned down. US, figuratively, informal, intransitive
"So now proſperitie begins to mellow / And drop into the rotten mouth of Death: […]"
- 14 To relax; in particular, to become pleasantly high or stoned by taking drugs. US, figuratively, informal, intransitive
Adjective
- 1 Soft or tender by reason of ripeness; having a tender pulp. also, figuratively
"a mellow apple"
- 2 Matured and smooth, and not acidic, harsh, or sharp. also, figuratively
"The Claret ſmooth, deep as the lip vve preſs, / In ſparkling fancy, vvhile vve drain the bovvl; / The mellovv-taſted Burgundy; and quick, / As is the vvit it gives, the bright Champaign."
- 3 Soft and easily penetrated or worked; not hard or rigid; loamy.
"[A] wyse and counnynge gardener […] will first serche throughout his gardeyne where he can finde the most melowe and fertile erth: and therin wil he put the sede of the herbe to growe and be norisshed: […]"
- 4 Mature; of crops: ready to be harvested; ripe. poetic, usually
"Nor autumn yet had bruſh'd from ev'ry ſpray, / With her chill hand, the mellow leaves away; […]"
- 5 Fruitful and warm. poetic
"And mellow Autumn, charged with bounteous fruit, / Where is she imaged? in what favoured clime / Her lavish pomp, and ripe magnificence?"
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Not coarse, brash, harsh, or rough; delicate, rich, soft, subdued. figuratively, usually
"How ſvveet and mellovv, and yet hovv Majeſtick, is the Sound of it!"
- 7 Senses relating to a person or their qualities.; Well-matured from age or experience; not impetuous or impulsive; calm, dignified, gentle. figuratively
"The cauſe vvas mine, I might haue died for both: / My yeeres vvere mellow, his but young and greene, / My death vvere naturall, but his vvas forced."
- 8 Senses relating to a person or their qualities.; Cheerful, genial, jovial, merry; also, easygoing, laid-back, relaxed. figuratively
"In all thy humours, whether grave or mellow, / Thou'rt such a touchy, testy, pleasant fellow; / Hast so much wit, and mirth, and spleen about thee, / There is no living with thee, nor without thee."
- 9 Senses relating to a person or their qualities.; Drunk, intoxicated; especially slightly or pleasantly so, or to an extent that makes one cheerful and friendly. figuratively
"[…] Tanee was accosted by certain good fellows, friends and boon companions, who condoled with him on his misfortunes—railed against the queen, and finally dragged him away to an illicit vender of spirits, in whose house the party got gloriously mellow."
- 10 Senses relating to a person or their qualities.; Pleasantly high or stoned, and relaxed after taking drugs; also, of drugs: slightly intoxicating and tending to produce such effects. US, figuratively, slang
"These boys were heavy smokers, and like my high school classmates, were always "high", "cool" and "mellow." They were never violent and were helpful and respectful to the adults in our village."
- 11 Pleasing in some way; excellent, fantastic, great. slang
Adjective
- 1 slightly and pleasantly intoxicated from alcohol or a drug (especially marijuana) wordnet
- 2 softened through age or experience wordnet
- 3 having a full and pleasing flavor through proper aging wordnet
- 4 unhurried and relaxed wordnet
Adverb
- 1 in a mellow manner wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"The mellow sounds of the Rhodes piano are partly responsible for thousands of accidental conceptions."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mellow"?
Common synonyms include: achingly sweet, addled, advance, affable, age, aged.
How do you use "mellow" in a sentence?
The mellow sounds of the Rhodes piano are partly responsible for thousands of accidental conceptions.
How do you pronounce "mellow"?
Pronounced /ˈmɛləʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English melowe, melwe (“ripe, mellow; juicy; sweet”) [and other forms]; further etymology uncertain, possibly: * from an attributive use of melow, melowe, melewe, mele (“meal from ground grain or legumes; flour; kernel of barley or lentils”) [and other forms], from Old English melo, melu (“meal (edible part of a grain or pulse); flour”), from Proto-Germanic *melwą (“ground corn; meal; flour”), from Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to crush; to grind”); or * a variant of Middle English merow, merowe, meruw (“soft, tender; of a person: frail; of love: unstable, variable”) [and other forms], from Old English meru, mearu (“soft, tender; delicate, frail; callow”) [and other forms], from Proto-Germanic *marwaz (“soft, mellow; brittle, delicate”), from Proto-Indo-European *mer(w)- (“to rub; to pack”). The noun and verb are both derived from the adjective. The etymology of noun sense 3 (“close friend; lover”) is unknown, but may also be derived from the adjective. Cognates * Dutch murw (“tender”) * German mürbe (“soft, tender”) * German Low German möör (“tender”) * Old Norse mör (“tender; aching”) (Icelandic meyr (“tender”)) * Saterland Frisian muur (“tender”) * West Frisian murf (“tender”)
Etymology 2
Perhaps a variant of Mellor.