mellow
mellow — adjective
- mellowpositive
- mellowercomparative
- mellowestsuperlative
1. describes a flavour, sound, colour, light, or texture that is pleasantly smooth,
describes a flavour, sound, colour, light, or texture that is pleasantly smooth, rich, and not harsh, sharp, or bright
The cheese had a mellow, nutty flavour that melted on the tongue.
collocation: mellow flavour
Vinícius prefers the mellow sound of an acoustic guitar to loud electric instruments.
collocation: mellow sound
The living room had the mellow glow of a single lamp by the window.
Years of rain had given the old brick wall a warm, mellow colour.
Gardeners like a mellow soil that is easy to dig and full of nutrients.
用法筆記
Commonly describes aged cheeses, wines, acoustic music, soft lighting, and well-worked soil.
常見錯誤
2. describes a person who is calm, gentle, and relaxed in character, or a place or
describes a person who is calm, gentle, and relaxed in character, or a place or mood that is peaceful and without tension
Grandfather grew more mellow as he got older and stopped worrying about small things.
often describes people becoming gentler with age
The cafe had a mellow atmosphere with soft music and warm lighting.
collocation: mellow atmosphere
Aylin is usually mellow in the mornings and never shouts at the children.
After a walk in the park, Ife felt calm and mellow all day.
The head teacher was far more mellow than the strict principal who came before her.
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (SMOOTH AND SOFT) which describes sensory qualities; sense 2 describes temperament, mood, or atmosphere.
常見錯誤
mellow — verb
- mellowpresent simple I / you / we / they
- mellows3rd person singular
- mellowing-ing form
- mellowedpast simple
1. to develop a softer, richer, and more pleasant quality over a period of time — u
to develop a softer, richer, and more pleasant quality over a period of time — used for flavours, sounds, colours, and textures
The red wine needs another two years to mellow in the cellar.
intransitive: to mellow [in/over time]
Time had mellowed the bright paint on the old barn door to a gentle grey.
transitive: time mellows something
As Andrei played, the piano tone began to mellow and grow richer.
The sunlight mellowed into a soft orange as evening came.
Wren let the strong cheese mellow on the kitchen counter for a few days.
文法句型
mellow (intransitive)
mellow something (transitive)
用法筆記
Transitive use (X mellows Y) is typically limited to time, age, or natural processes as the subject; people rarely use it in active transitive constructions like 'I mellowed the cheese'.
2. to become calmer, more relaxed, and less strict or severe in character
to become calmer, more relaxed, and less strict or severe in character
After retiring, Anjali began to mellow and enjoy life at a slower pace.
intransitive: person mellows [with time/experience]
Bao has mellowed a lot since starting yoga and meditation classes.
The tough coach mellowed over the years and stopped yelling at the players.
Indra hopes her grumpy old cat will mellow once it settles into the new house.
文法句型
mellow (intransitive)
用法筆記
Almost always intransitive — a person mellows naturally over time. Transitive use ('the experience mellowed her') is possible but much rarer than for sense 1.