melancholy
Lingering quiet grief
Melancholy is a state of pensive sadness, often without obvious cause.
Unlike grief or despair, melancholy suggests a quieter, more reflective sorrow—sometimes even tinged with pleasure: a melancholy beauty, melancholy autumn afternoons.
The adjective describes things that evoke or express this mood: melancholy music, a melancholy smile.
Creative types have long claimed melancholy as a source of inspiration.
Deep emotional distress
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- sadnessState of emotional pain
- heartacheDeep emotional distress
- despairTotal absence of hope
misery · dolor · anguish · heaviness · dejection · hopelessness · glumness · woefulness
Expressing deep sorrow
- somberGravely serious in mood
- gloomyDark and dispiriting
- moroseSullenly ill-humored
- despondentDeeply discouraged, hopeless
wistful · forlorn · sullen · dismal · dreary · plaintive · downcast · heavy-hearted
Poem lamenting the departed
- lamentMournful expression of grief
- dirgeMournful commemorative music
- requiemMass for the deceased
- nocturneContemplative keyboard piece
adagio · Chopin · Keats · Shelley · Byron · gothic · sublime · Hamlet
Recalling past experiences
- yesteryearTime not long past
- bygoneOf earlier times
- homesicknessLonging for one's dwelling
- wistfulnessTender sadness for absence
memories · retrospection · reverie · sentimentality · recollection · longing · bittersweet · sepia-toned
Casting back light
- meditativeInclined toward deep reflection
- introspectiveExamining one's own mind
- thoughtfulShowing careful consideration
- philosophicalConcerned with fundamental truths
rumination · absorbed · preoccupied · musing · pondering · solitary · quiet · subdued
Prolonged low state
- dysthymiaChronic low-grade melancholy
- bipolarHaving two opposite poles
- seasonalRecurring at fixed intervals
- persistentContinuing despite difficulty
chronic · lethargy · listlessness · anhedonia · malaise · insomnia · withdrawal · psychosomatic
sorrow
Deep emotional distress
despair · misery · dolor · anguish · heaviness · dejection · hopelessness · glumness · woefulness · moroseness
doleful
Expressing deep sorrow
despondent · wistful · forlorn · sullen · dismal · dreary · plaintive · downcast · heavy-hearted · blue
elegy
Poem lamenting the departed
nocturne · adagio · Chopin · Keats · Shelley · Byron · gothic · sublime · Hamlet · Ophelia
reminiscence
Recalling past experiences
- yesteryearTime not long past
- bygoneOf earlier times
- homesicknessLonging for one's dwelling
wistfulness · memories · retrospection · reverie · sentimentality · recollection · longing · bittersweet · sepia-toned · faded
reflective
Casting back light
- meditativeInclined toward deep reflection
- introspectiveExamining one's own mind
- thoughtfulShowing careful consideration
philosophical · rumination · absorbed · preoccupied · musing · pondering · solitary · quiet · subdued · withdrawn
depression
Prolonged low state
- dysthymiaChronic low-grade melancholy
- bipolarHaving two opposite poles
- seasonalRecurring at fixed intervals
persistent · chronic · lethargy · listlessness · anhedonia · malaise · insomnia · withdrawal · psychosomatic
melancholyjoy
Intense positive emotion
happiness · elation · euphoria · jubilation · bliss
- melancholy moodState of pensive sorrow
- melancholy toneSorrowful expressive quality
- autumn melancholySadness evoked by fall
- melancholic tonePervading sense of sorrow