melancholia
melancholia — noun
1. A deep feeling of sadness that continues for a long time, often without a clear
A deep feeling of sadness that continues for a long time, often without a clear cause.
After Salma left her hometown, a quiet melancholia settled over her and lasted for months.
collocation: melancholia settled over [person]
The old photographs in the wooden box filled Stefan with a sudden, heavy melancholia.
A soft melancholia in the autumn air made Lucía stop and stare at the empty garden.
Bao tried to hide his melancholia, but his brother noticed he was eating very little.
The film ended on a quiet note of melancholia, and the audience left without speaking.
- melancholy
more common in everyday speech; melancholia has a more formal, literary tone
- sadness
general term; less intense and less lasting than melancholia
- gloom
stronger focus on a dark, pessimistic outlook
- cheerfulness
a bright, positive state of mind
- joy
a strong, active feeling of happiness
文法句型
melancholia + verb (singular agreement)
用法筆記
Literary and poetic contexts are the most typical setting for this sense; everyday conversation prefers sadness or low mood.
常見錯誤
2. An older medical term for a severe form of depression that involves deep despair
An older medical term for a severe form of depression that involves deep despair, anxiety, and physical symptoms, now generally called clinical depression.
In the 1800s, doctors often used the word melancholia to describe patients with deep despair.
historical medical usage: used the word melancholia to describe
Lucía found hospital records showing that her great-grandmother was treated for melancholia in 1910.
The old textbook listed melancholia as a disease caused by an imbalance in the body.
Modern doctors no longer call this condition melancholia — they use the name major depression.
Baraka read that melancholia was once treated with long bed rest and changes in diet.
- depression
the modern term; broader and used in both clinical and everyday contexts
- clinical depression
the precise modern clinical term for severe depressive illness
文法句型
melancholia + verb (singular agreement)
用法筆記
No longer used in modern medical diagnosis — the current clinical term is major depressive disorder. This sense appears mainly in historical texts or discussions of medical history.