Meaning & use
mellifluence
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Meanings
noununcountableformalliteraryrare
The quality of sounding sweet, smooth, and pleasant to listen to.
Grammar: Uncountable, so it takes no plural and no article: "the mellifluence of her voice."
Patterns
- the mellifluence of something
- with mellifluence
Critics praised the mellifluence of the young singer's voice.
His speeches were admired less for their ideas than for their mellifluence.
noununcountableformalliteraryraredisapproving
A way of speaking or writing that is smooth and flattering, sometimes hard to trust.
Grammar: Also uncountable; often used when the smoothness seems too polished to be sincere.
Patterns
- the mellifluence of someone's words
- speak with mellifluence
Behind all his mellifluence, the reporter sensed a careful evasion.
She distrusted the mellifluence of the salesman's pitch.
Common combinations
- the mellifluence of a voice
- The mellifluence of her voice made the poem a pleasure to hear.
- speak with mellifluence
- He spoke with such mellifluence that nobody noticed the missing details.
- a tone of mellifluence
- Her letter struck a tone of mellifluence that softened the refusal.
- admire the mellifluence
- Listeners admired the mellifluence of the radio host's delivery.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sweetness
- The everyday word for a pleasant sound; mellifluence is far more literary and usually describes speech or music.
- smoothness
- Focuses on an even, unbroken quality; mellifluence adds the idea of pleasing, honey-like charm.
- eloquence
- Means persuasive, skillful speaking; mellifluence is about how pleasant the sound is, not how convincing the argument is.
Opposites
Word family
- mellifluous adjective
- Having a sweet, smooth, pleasant sound.
- mellifluously adverb
- In a sweet, smooth, pleasant-sounding way.
- mellifluousness noun
- The more common noun form with the same meaning as mellifluence.
Commonly confused: mellifluence or mellifluousness? mellifluence or munificence?
mellifluence vs mellifluousness
Same meaning, but far more common; learners should normally choose this form instead of the rare mellifluence.
mellifluence vs munificence
Means great generosity in giving; it sounds similar but has nothing to do with pleasant speech.
Practice
Which sentence uses "mellifluence" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Mellifluence" means a sweet, smooth, pleasant sound, so it fits the orchestra's strings. Option 1 confuses it with generosity (that is munificence), option 2 wrongly links it to clear figures, and option 3 treats an uncountable abstract noun as a countable object you can buy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mellifluence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.