Words / C2

me-LIFL-oo-uh-s/meˈlɪfluəs/

Mellifluous means pleasant and musical to listen to, of a voice or of language: a mellifluous voice. Sweet-sounding is everyday; tuneful is close for music; honeyed can imply flattery. Literary, slightly ornamental. In speech, lovely to listen to is enough. Use it for sound, not for a kind personality. Overused in reviews, it curdles — one well-placed use is plenty.

Meaning

Pleasant and musical to listen to, of a voice or language (literary).

Examples

• “The narrator had a mellifluous voice.”
• “The narrator’s mellifluous delivery made a grim story easier to sit through.”
• “Mellifluous phrasing cannot rescue a hollow brief.”

Good to know

Sweet-sounding (literary). Of voice/language. Everyday: lovely to listen to. Close: tuneful. Sound, not character. Easy to overdo.

Near in meaning

tuneful

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