Another Word for Melancholy

Mild · A little, in the background

wistful

Gentle longing for something past or out of reach.

pensive

Quietly thoughtful, with a hint of sadness.

reflective

Looking back and turning things over slowly.

blue

Light everyday sadness that colors the day.

moody

Shifting, dim feelings that are hard to explain.

bittersweet

Sadness mixed with something you still treasure.

misty-eyed

Close to tears over a memory or a song.

Moderate · Clearly there, hard to ignore

somber

Serious and dark in mood, without lightness.

mournful

A sadness that sounds or looks like grieving.

doleful

Literary word for a sad, droopy expression or tone.

morose

Sullen and gloomy, often withdrawing from others.

rueful

Sad with a touch of regret, sometimes with a wry smile.

elegiac

A mood of looking back on something lost, like a lament.

brooding

Dwelling on sad or dark thoughts for a long time.

Intense · Strong, taking over

desolate

Sad and empty, as if the world around you went quiet.

forlorn

Lonely and sad, as if you have been left behind.

woebegone

Literary word for looking deeply sad and miserable.

disconsolate

So sad that comfort does not seem to help.

lugubrious

Heavy, exaggerated sadness, sometimes almost theatrical.

bleak

Sadness with no light or hope in view.

heartsick

Sadness that aches in your chest, often from longing.

Rainy Sundays make me melancholy.

Rainy Sundays make me pensive, I end up rereading old messages.

That song has a melancholy feeling.

That song has a bittersweet feeling, happy chords with sad lyrics.

He's been melancholy since his friend moved.

He's been brooding since his friend moved away.

The empty house felt melancholy.

The empty house felt desolate after the movers left.

I'm a little melancholy about turning thirty.

I'm a little wistful about turning thirty.