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mellow

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Mellow defines someone or something that is calm, smooth and free from harshness.

(adjective)

A person who is calm and peaceful and doesn't get upset easily is an example of a person who is mellow.
Coffee that has a smooth, calm flavor and that isn't harsh is an example of coffee that would be described as mellow.

The definition of mellow is to calm down or to cause someone to calm down.

(verb)

If you were prone to swings of temper when you were younger but have become calmer as you age, this is an example of a situation where you mellow.

See mellow in Webster's New World College Dictionary

adjective

soft, sweet, and juicy because ripe: said of fruit
full-flavored; matured; not acid or bitter: said of wine, etc.
full, rich, soft, and pure; not harsh: said of sound, light, color, weather, etc.
moist and rich; loamy: said of soil
softened and made gentle, understanding, and sympathetic by age and experience
Informal genial or convivial, as from drinking liquor

Origin: ME melwe, ripe, prob. < or akin to OE melu (see meal), Fl meluw, soft, mellow

transitive verb, intransitive verb

to make or become mellow

Related Forms:

mellowly adverb
mellowness noun

See mellow in American Heritage Dictionary 4

adjective mel·low·er, mel·low·est

a. Soft, sweet, juicy, and full-flavored because of ripeness: a mellow fruit.
b. Suggesting softness or sweetness: “The mellow air brought in the feel of imminent autumn” (Thomas Hardy).
Rich and soft in quality: a mellow sound; a mellow wine.
Having the gentleness, wisdom, or tolerance often characteristic of maturity.
Relaxed and unhurried; easygoing: a mellow friend; a mellow conversation.
Slang
a. Slightly and pleasantly intoxicated.
b. Pleasantly high from a drug, especially from smoking marijuana.
Moist, rich, soft, and loamy. Used of soil.

tr. & intr.v. mel·lowed, mel·low·ing, mel·lows

To make or become mellow.

Phrasal Verb: mellow out Slang To become genial and pleasant; relax: “The cowboy mellowed out when they read him a sweet letter from his wife” (Bobbie Ann Mason).

Origin:

Origin: Middle English melwe

Origin: , perhaps from melowe

Origin: , oblique case of mele, ground grain, meal; see meal¹

Related Forms: