melancholic
adjective, noun
melancholic is spelled M-E-L-A-N-C-H-O-L-I-C: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, melancholic means “Filled with or affected by melancholy–great sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in melancholic?
| Letters | 11: M-E-L-A-N-C-H-O-L-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,336th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is melancholic?
Melancholic appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce melancholic?
- US
Melancholic has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-melancholic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of melancholic
- more melancholic comparative
- most melancholic superlative
- melancholics plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does melancholic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Filled with or affected by melancholy–great sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
- 2
datedPertaining to black bile (melancholy).
- 3
Pertaining to the melancholic temperament or its associated personality traits.
noun
- 1
A person who is habitually melancholy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Melancholic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mélancolique |
| German | melancholisch, schwermütig , Melancholiker, Melancholikerin |
| Portuguese | melancólico |
| Spanish | melancólico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does melancholic come from?
From Latin melancholicus, from Ancient Greek μελαγχολικός (melankholikós, “atrabilious, impulsive, of atrabilious or melancholic temperament”), from μελαγχολία (melankholía, “melancholy”). By surface analysis, melancholy + -ic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).