A. L. Guérard
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The Squirming Origins of Mawkish
Mawkish really opens up a can of worms—or maggots, as it were: the word wriggled out from Middle English mawke, meaning “maggot.” Its earliest sense, used in the late 17th century but now obsolete, was synonymous with squeamish (understandable!) but not long after that mawkish was used to describe an unpleasant, nauseating, often sickeningly sweet flavor. It’s no surprise that a figurative sense of mawkish, used to describe things that are full of “sickly sweet” sentimentality, arose almost concurrently, one of several food texture- and taste-related words favored by critics to show disdain for art they deem overly emotive, including gooey, saccharine, mushy, and schmaltzy.
Examples of mawkish in a Sentence
Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 29 Apr. 2026
The book’s final section, comprising a reunion at a funeral, could have been mawkish but instead is moving … A riveting tale.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
The mawkish qualities of the story are out in full force — the whole thing is narrated by a now-aged Daniel, who relates this tragic tale to a gaggle of his grandkids — but Mike Tuviera’s flat direction fails to make use of what could have been a great visual and emotional canvas.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Knight’s directorial debut never tips over into mawkish but has some unashamedly tender moments.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mawkish
Cite this Entry
“Mawkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mawkish. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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mawkish
adjective
