sentimental

adjective

sen·​ti·​men·​tal ˌsen-tə-ˈmen-tᵊl 

1

a

: marked or governed by feeling, sensibility, or emotional idealism

b

: resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought

a sentimental attachment

a sentimental favorite

2

: having an excess of sentiment or sensibility

sentimentally adverb

Synonyms of sentimental

• sloppy
• sticky
• mawkish
• schmaltzy
• maudlin
• sappy
• saccharine
• fuzzy
• wet
• soppy
• corny
• cloying
• mushy
• gooey
• sugary

Examples of sentimental in a Sentence

He has a sentimental attachment to his old high school.

She saved her wedding gown for sentimental reasons.

He has sentimental ideas about the past.

I tend to get very sentimental when I think about my childhood.

Recent Examples on the Web

Written by 21-year-old Joe Anders and directed by his mother Kate Winslet, this simple, sentimental family portrait lacks the ring of lived experience at more than one level. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Dec. 2025

Not in sentimental or grand gestures, but gentle ones. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

Pynchon, in his seventies and eighties, has not grown sentimental so much as stoically absurd. —Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025

This sentimental keepsake is written in the stars, perfect for the horoscope lover. —Madeleine Bokan Thares, Glamour, 9 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sentimental

• anti-sentimental
• sentimental value

Rhymes for sentimental

• accidental
• compartmental
• continental
• detrimental
• elemental
• fundamental
• governmental
• incidental
• incremental
• instrumental
• interdental
• monumental

Kids Definition

sentimental

adjective

sen·​ti·​men·​tal ˌsent-ə-ˈment-ᵊl 

1

a

: marked by feeling or sentiment

b

: resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought

2

: having an excess of sentiment or sensibility

sentimentally

-ᵊl-ē

adverb