Dictionary

mellifluous en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /məˈlɪflu.əs/ (US)
• (US) audio
• /mɛˈlɪflu.əs/ (US)

Etymology

From Middle English mellifluous, mellyfluous, from Latin mellifluus (“flowing like honey”) + -ous, from mel (“honey”) + fluō (“flow”). Compare superfluous and fluid, from same root, and with dulcet (“sweet speech”), alternative Latinate term with a similar meaning.

Meanings

1. Flowing like honey.
   • Though in heaven the trees / Of life ambrosial fruitage bear, and vines / Yield nectar; though from off the boughs each morn / VVe brush mellifluous devvs, and find the ground / Cover'd vvith pearly grain[…] 1671, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:
2. (figuratively) Sweet, smooth and musical; pleasant to hear (generally used of a person's voice, tone or writing style).
   • No verses can be more mellifluous than Petrarch's: something of this will perhaps be attributed to the softness of the Italian language; but the English tongue is also capable of it, however obstinately Johnson may have pronounced otherwise. 1853, Sir Egerton Brydges, Life of Milton:
   • Certainly, he [Richard Ashcroft] returns explicitly to the sound of Urban Hymns on his fourth solo album: neat, sad strings, unhurried percussion and his mellifluous foghorn of a voice. 2016 May 19, Rachel Aroesti, “Richard Ashcroft: These People review”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC:
   • His [Roy Orbison's] iconic look, mellifluous croon and timeless songwriting means that he retains a strong fanbase. 2017 October 20, Ben Beaumont-Thomas, “In dreams: Roy Orbison hologram to embark on UK tour in 2018”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC:
   • Join'd to Theſe [birds], / Thouſands beſide, thick as the covering Leaves / VVhich ſpeck them o'er, their Modulations mix / Mellifluous. 1728, [James] Thomson, Spring. A Poem, […] A[ndrew] Millar, […]; and G[eorge] Strahan, […], →OCLC, pages 30–31:
   • […] Socrates […] VVisest of men; from vvhose mouth issued forth / Mellifluous streams that vvater'd all the schools / Of Academicks old and nevv […] 1671, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:
   • The only novels with which the weary Titan refreshes his mind are those of Thackeray, sometimes of Trollope; the more frivolous sometimes go so far as to sip a little of the honey that falls from the mellifluous lips of Mr A. C. Benson. 1918, Walter Lionel George, A Novelist on Novels:
   • Radio proved a perfect fit for the mellifluous tones of Mr. Pence, who called himself “Rush Limbaugh on decaf.” 2022 July 12, Simon Montlake, “In Jan. 6 spotlight, Mike Pence navigates a tricky post-Trump path”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

Forms

Deriveds

mellifluousness · unmellifluous · mellifluously

Relateds

superfluous · melliloquent

Synonyms

dulcet · mellifluent · euphonious · birdsweet

Translations (32)

ro melifluu (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · ca mel·liflu (flowing like honey) · mi rōreka (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · ru медоточи́вый (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · de wohlklingend (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · es melifluo (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · fi hunajainen (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · fr melliflue (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · it mellifluo (flowing like honey) · nl stroperig (flowing like honey) · mi wainene (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · fi hunajamainen (flowing like honey) · ru сладкозву́чный (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · pt melífluo (flowing like honey) · pl płynny jak miód (flowing like honey) · bg сладкодумен (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · pl słodki (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · pt melífluo (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · de honigsüß (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · he ערב (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · sv honungslen (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · fr mélodieux (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · nl honingzoet (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · pl melodyjny (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · es melifluo (flowing like honey) · de lieblich (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · ro melifluu (flowing like honey) · ca mel·liflu (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · nl zoetgevooisd (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · nl welluidend (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · mk милозвучен (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...)) · fr mielleux (sweet and smooth (tone, voice...))