melancholy.

1. a quiet, lingering sadness or pensive low mood

2. Quietly sad, or suggestive of reflective sadness.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• quiet melancholy
• a mood of melancholy
• tinged with melancholy

On the page

Melancholy followed her through the empty rooms.

The autumn light brought a quiet melancholy.

His relief was tinged with melancholy when the old house disappeared from view.

Usage notes

Primary curation section: Gothic. Often reflective rather than panicked or openly distressed. Not a precise synonym for clinical depression; also used as an adjective. Usually uncountable for the emotion. Related adjective: melancholy; adverb: melancholically.