Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Pleasantly smooth, rich, or soft: Used to describe flavors, sounds, colors, or textures that are not harsh, sharp, or bright, but are deep, full, and agreeable.
   • Relaxed and good-natured: Describes a person, mood, or atmosphere that is calm, pleasant, and without tension.
   • Mature and softened by experience: Describes a person or their qualities that have become wiser, kinder, or less severe over time.

2. Verb:

   • To become or make something mellow: The process of becoming softer, richer, more relaxed, or more mature. This can apply to flavors, sounds, people, or their personalities.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:

  • The cheese had a mellow flavor after years of aging.
  • We spent a mellow evening listening to jazz.
  • His mellow attitude made him easy to work with.
  • The painter used mellow tones of yellow and brown.

• Verb:

  • The fruit will mellow if you leave it on the counter for a few days.
  • He has mellowed a lot since he retired and is much less strict.

Advanced Usage

• "to mellow out": (informal phrasal verb) To become relaxed or calm.
  • After a stressful week, I just want to mellow out at home.

Variants and Related Words

• Mellowly (adverb): In a mellow manner.
  • The music played mellowly in the background.
• Mellowness (noun): The quality of being mellow.
  • The mellowness of the old wine was remarkable.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Smooth, ripe, soft, gentle, relaxed, laid-back, genial.
• Verb: Soften, mature, ripen, relax, tone down.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Mellow out: (See "Advanced Usage" above).

Related Idioms

• (As) mellow as an old violin: Very relaxed and easygoing.
  • Since his grandchildren were born, he's been as mellow as an old violin.

Adjective

1. slightly and pleasantly intoxicated from alcohol or a drug (especially marijuana)
2. having attained to kindliness or gentleness through age and experience
   • mellow wisdom
   • the peace of mellow age
3. having attained to kindliness or gentleness through age and experience
   • mellow wisdom
   • the peace of mellow age
4. having a full and pleasing flavor through proper aging
   • a mellow port
   • mellowed fruit
5. unhurried and relaxed
   • a mellow conversation

Adverb

1. (obsolete) in a mellow manner

Verb

1. make or grow (more) mellow
   • These apples need to mellow a bit more
   • The sun mellowed the fruit
2. become more relaxed, easygoing, or genial
   • With age, he mellowed
3. soften, make mellow
   • Age and experience mellowed him over the years