Meanings
plural melancholias
- countableuncountableDeep sadness or gloom; melancholy
Synonyms: gloom, melancholy, sadness, blueness, tristesse, mirthlessness, blues, crestfallenness
- countableuncountablemedicinedepression, characterised by irrational fears, guilt and apathy
The reader will regret to learn that soon after my return to civilization I had another bout with insanity (if to melancholia and a sense of insufferable oppression that cruel term must be applied).
1955 September 15, Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita, Paris: The Olympia Press […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
nounDeep sadness or gloom; melancholy
Origin
- Late Latinmelancholia
- Englishmelancholia
From Late Latin melancholia, which was in turn borrowed from the Ancient Greek medical term μελαγχολία (melankholía, “blackness of the bile”) (from μέλας (mélas), μελαν- (melan-, “black, dark, murky”) + χολή (kholḗ, “bile”)), referring to the humour which ancient Hippocratic and later Galenic medicine associated with sadness and despondency. Doublet of melancholy.
More words from Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic سَوْدَاوِيَّة
- سَوْدَاوِيَّة (sawdāwiyya)Translations
Bulgarian меланхолия
- меланхолия (melanholija)Translations
Chinese Mandarin 憂鬱 /忧郁, 悲哀
- 憂鬱 /忧郁 (yōuyù)Translations
- 悲哀 (bēi'āi)Translations
Czech melancholie
- melancholieTranslations
Danish melankoli, vemod
- melankoliTranslations
- vemodTranslations
Dutch melancholie, weemoed
- melancholieTranslations
- weemoedTranslations
Finnish melankolia, apeus
- melankoliaTranslations
- apeusTranslations
- surumielisyysTranslations
French mélancolie
- mélancolieTranslations
German Melancholie, Schwermut
- MelancholieTranslations
- SchwermutTranslations
- WehmutTranslations
Greek μελαγχολία
- μελαγχολία (melancholía)Translations
Icelandic þunglyndi
- þunglyndiTranslations
Indonesian melankolia
- melankoliaTranslations
Italian malinconia
- malinconiaTranslations
Japanese 憂鬱, 鬱病
- 憂鬱 (yūutsu)Translations
- 鬱病 (utsubyō)Translations
Korean 우울, 침울
- 우울 (uul)Translations
- 침울 (chimul)Translations
Latin melancholia
- melancholiaTranslations
Lithuanian melancholija
- melancholijaTranslations
Norwegian Bokmål melankoli, tungsinn
- melankoliTranslations
- tungsinnTranslations
- svartsynTranslations
- vemodTranslations
Polish melancholia
- melancholiaTranslations
Portuguese melancolia
- melancoliaTranslations
Romanian melancolie, tristețe
- melancolieTranslations
- tristețeTranslations
Russian меланхо́лия
- меланхо́лия (melanxólija)Translations
Spanish melancolía
- melancolíaTranslations
Swedish melankoli, svårmod
- melankoliTranslations
- svårmodTranslations
- vemodTranslations
- tungsinneTranslations
Turkish melankoli, hüzün
- melankoliTranslations
- hüzünTranslations
Ukrainian меланхолія
- меланхолія (melanxolija)Translations
Vietnamese trầm cảm
- trầm cảmTranslations
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with melancholia
All rhymes →Cite this entry
melancholia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melancholia
“melancholia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melancholia. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “melancholia,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melancholia.
Source: melancholia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.