From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmellowmel‧low1 /ˈmeləʊ $ -loʊ/ adjective 1 not brightCCBRIGHT a mellow colour or light looks soft, warm, and not too bright the mellow golden light of early evening2 not loud or harshC a mellow sound is pleasant and smooth a warm, mellow voice3 not strong in flavourDF mellow wine or fruit has a smooth pleasant taste its smooth, mellow flavour4 not strictSTRICT someone who is mellow is gentle and calm and does not criticize other people, because they have a lot of experience of life5 relaxedRELAXED if you feel mellow, you feel calm and relaxed, especially after drinking alcohol► see thesaurus at calm —mellowness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
mellow• After a few drinks, everyone was pretty mellow.• Not real high, but nice and mellow and happy.• She wasn't drunk yet, but she was feeling nice and mellow and happy.• a rich, mellow blend of coffee• Solomon, in Proverbs, highlighted patience, where he said that a prince is made mellow by patience.• the mellow golden light of autumn sunsets• He's a totally mellow guy.• The face was female, sculpted, golden, mellow, ideal and framed by a lion's mane of light.• The mellow mid-day jazz on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays?• She poured him another glass of brandy to keep him in a mellow mood.• She seems a little more mellow now that she's gotten married.• the mellow sound of a trombone• Like many square-necks, it sounds fatter, sweeter and more mellow than a typical round-neck.• In general Saccani is mellower than Dorati.• The smiling face; the jokey mellow voice - but what was going on, really?• a deep, mellow voice• Glover looked up at the sound of that mellow voice.mellowmellow2 verb [intransitive, transitive] 1 STRICTif someone mellows or is mellowed, they become gentler and more sympathetic Paul’s certainly mellowed over the years. Two pints of beer had mellowed my father.2 CCif colours mellow or are mellowed, they begin to look warm and soft The bricks had mellowed to a soft red.3 DFDif wine mellows or is mellowed, its taste becomes smoother → mellow (somebody) out→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
mellow• She's mellowed a lot since she retired.• David has mellowed and quietened down a great deal.• In his forties, Jobs seems to have mellowed, as a leader if not as a crusader for Mac-style computing.• Helvin says that Bailey has changed nowadays, has mellowed, but in a positive way.• She's mellowed him out, and she seems to make him happy.• He mellowed into a white-haired wise man.• Grandpa's mellowed over the last few years.• Will I mellow towards the idea of marriage as I get older?• He hasn't always been so understanding. He's really mellowed with age.Origin mellow1 (1400-1500) Perhaps from Old English melu; → MEAL 