melancholy
/ˈmel.əŋ.kɒl.i/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmel.əŋ.kɑː.li/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈme-lən-ˌkä-lē/ (ame, mw) · /ˈmelənkəli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmelənkɑːli/ (ame, ipa)
melancholy — 形容詞
- melancholypositive
- more melancholycomparative
- most melancholysuperlative
1. feeling a deep, quiet sadness, or making other people feel that way through how
憂鬱的
深沉且安靜悲傷的
feeling a deep, quiet sadness, or making other people feel that way through how something looks or sounds.
Brandon walked along the empty beach with a melancholy look on his face.
Brandon 帶著憂鬱的表情，獨自走在空無一人的海灘上。
predicate adjective describing facial expression
The old piano in the corner played a slow, melancholy tune.
角落那架舊鋼琴彈出一段緩慢而憂鬱的旋律。
attributive use with sound nouns: melancholy tune / song / music
Anong felt melancholy whenever the autumn rain started outside her window.
每當窗外開始下起秋雨，Anong 就會感到一陣憂鬱。
The film ends with a quiet, melancholy scene of an empty house at dusk.
電影最後是一幕黃昏空屋的安靜、憂鬱的場景。
用法筆記
Frequently attributive before nouns like 'mood', 'tune', 'air', 'voice', 'expression', 'beauty'. Distinguish from sibling guide word: this is the visible or audible quality, not a brief moment of feeling.
常見錯誤
melancholy — 名詞
1. a heavy, quiet sadness that hangs over someone over many weeks or months, usuall
憂鬱；鬱悶
長期、原因不明的深沉悲傷
a heavy, quiet sadness that hangs over someone over many weeks or months, usually without any clear cause the person can name.
After her grandmother died, Meera fell into a deep melancholy that lasted for months.
祖母過世後，Meera 陷入了好幾個月的深深憂鬱。
fall / sink into + melancholy
There was a quiet melancholy in Omar's voice as he spoke about his old hometown.
Omar 談起老家時，聲音裡帶著一絲安靜的憂鬱。
there is + melancholy + in someone's voice / eyes
Long winter evenings in the village often brought a soft melancholy to the older residents.
村裡漫長的冬夜，常常給上了年紀的居民帶來淡淡的憂鬱。
Felipe tried to shake off the melancholy that had followed him since the funeral.
Felipe 一直想擺脫葬禮之後就纏著他的那股憂鬱。
- depression
stronger, clinical overtones; medical contexts
- sorrow
more tied to a specific loss or pain
- gloom
darker, more oppressive; less reflective
- joy
bright, active happiness
- cheerfulness
lively positive mood
文法句型
a sense / feeling / mood of melancholy
sink into melancholy
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable. Subject often a person ('sank into melancholy') or a place / time of year that triggers the feeling. Distinguish from sense 2: this is the long, low mood itself, not the gentle reflective version.
常見錯誤
2. a gentle, reflective sadness mixed with thinking, often felt while remembering t
感傷；惆悵
回憶或寧靜景象引起的輕柔思緒
a gentle, reflective sadness mixed with thinking, often felt while remembering the past or looking at something quiet and beautiful.
Sivan looked at the old photographs with a soft, thoughtful melancholy.
Sivan 翻看著那些舊照片，神情裡有一種柔軟而若有所思的感傷。
with + adjective + melancholy
The garden in late autumn had a kind of pensive melancholy that Élise loved.
晚秋的花園有一種沉思的感傷，是 Élise 很喜歡的氛圍。
have + a / kind of + pensive melancholy
Mizuki wrote about the quiet melancholy of walking through her childhood streets again.
Mizuki 寫下重新走過童年街道時，那種安靜的惆悵。
There is a sweet melancholy in old letters from people who are no longer alive.
讀著已故之人留下的舊信，總有一種甜甜的感傷。
- wistfulness
very close; emphasises gentle longing
- pensiveness
highlights the thoughtful side rather than the sad side
- nostalgia
tied specifically to the past; sweetness over sadness
- elation
intense excited happiness
文法句型
a melancholy of / about something
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: here the feeling is calm, valued, often described as 'sweet' or 'pensive', and tied to memory or quiet scenes rather than a heavy mood. Common in literary writing about autumn, old photos, or revisiting places.