Melancholy vs Pensive - What's the difference?
melancholy | pensive |
Affected with great sadness or depression.
* {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
, chapter=1 (historical) Black bile, formerly thought to be one of the four "cardinal humours" of animal bodies.
*, Bk.I, New York 2001, p.148:
Great sadness or depression, especially of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
* 1593 , (William Shakespeare), , V. i. 34:
Having the appearance of deep, often melancholic, thinking.
Looking thoughtful, especially from sadness.
* 1748 . David Hume. Enquiries concerning the human understanding and concerning the principles of moral. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. § 4.
As adjectives the difference between melancholy and pensive
is that melancholy is affected with great sadness or depression while pensive is having the appearance of deep, often melancholic, thinking.As a noun melancholy
is black bile, formerly thought to be one of the four "cardinal humours" of animal bodies.melancholy
English
Adjective
(en adjective)citation, passage=“[…] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes
Synonyms
* (thoughtful sadness) (l) * See alsoNoun
(melancholies)- Melancholy , cold and dry, thick, black, and sour,is a bridle to the other two hot humours, blood and choler, preserving them in the blood, and nourishing the bones.
- My mind was troubled with deep melancholy .
pensive
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- Abstruse thought and profound researches I prohibit, and will severely punish, by the pensive melancholy which they introduce