atrabilious

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌætrəˈbɪliəs/ UK /ˌætrəˈbɪliəs/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
melancholy, gloomy, or bad-tempered

The atrabilious clerk scowled at every customer who entered.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · melancholy, gloomy, or... melancholy gloomy morose spleneticill-temperedatrabiliary bilious sullen

Opposites

cheerful sanguine genial jovial

Word family

Derived forms atrabiliousness

Related forms atrabiliary bile bilious

Etymology

From Latin atra bilis ('black bile') + -ous, from ater ('black') + bilis ('bile'), reflecting the humoral theory linking excess black bile to melancholy.

ater Latin bilis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# atrabilious

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˌætrəˈbɪliəs
**IPA (UK):** ˌætrəˈbɪliəs

## Meanings
1. melancholy, gloomy, or bad-tempered

## Examples
- The atrabilious clerk scowled at every customer who entered.

## Synonyms
- melancholy
- gloomy
- morose
- splenetic
- ill-tempered
- atrabiliary
- bilious
- sullen

## Antonyms
- cheerful
- sanguine
- genial
- jovial

## Derived Forms
- atrabiliousness

## Related Forms
- atrabiliary
- bile
- bilious

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ater
- Root: bilis

## Etymology
From Latin atra bilis ('black bile') + -ous, from ater ('black') + bilis ('bile'), reflecting the humoral theory linking excess black bile to melancholy.

## AI Etymology
Atrabilious is from Latin atra bilis ('black bile') + -ous, from ater ('black') + bilis ('bile'), reflecting the humoral theory linking excess black bile to melancholy. In present-day use, it means melancholy, gloomy, or bad-tempered. Derived formations include atrabiliousness. Related vocabulary includes atrabiliary, bile, and bilious.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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