sappy

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adjective sap·py \ ˈsa-pē \

Definition of sappy

sappier; sappiest

1 :abounding with sap

2 :resembling or consisting largely of sapwood

3 a :overly sweet or sentimental

b :lacking in good sense :silly

See sappy defined for English-language learners

See sappy defined for kids

Examples of sappy in a Sentence

She gets all sappy when she is around babies.
a sappy letter filled with silly romantic clichés

Recent Examples of sappy from the Web

Google, known for sappy ads focused on #makingmemories, is trying to create a time-lapse movie of the eclipse by stitching together photography submissions from more than 1,000 people along the path of totality.

— marina koren, The Atlantic, "American Marketing Casts Its Shadow," 18 Aug. 2017
The final twist in Ingrid Goes West’s plot elevates the movie from near-sappy morality tale about Learning to Love the Real You into very dark territory indeed.

— josephine livingstone, New Republic, "Against Instagram," 16 Aug. 2017
This is a youthful, frantic, vibrant version of a musical that in the wrong hands can be sappy and operatic.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "Goodspeed Puts On A Youthful, Vibrant 'Oklahoma!'," 4 Aug. 2017
There was no sappy montage of assignments past, no tears, just an elegant farewell from a heart clearly full of gratitude.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity.com, "Fox 4’s Phil Witt signs off after nearly 40 years: ‘I treasure all of you’," 21 June 2017
Add a cute and mildly sappy note, and your work is done.

— yasmin fahr, Bon Appetit, "How to Give Restaurant Gift Certificates as Wedding Presents without Causing Divorce," 12 June 2017
David’s innocent crush on a popular girl in his class adds an age-appropriate romantic touch that’s not too sappy, not too serious.

— augusta scattergood, The Christian Science Monitor, "Three delightful summer reads for 8-to-12-year-old readers," 12 June 2017
Harris makes big, dumb, fun music that's either just big, dumb, and fun or just a sappy breakup track about Taylor Swift.

— matt miller, Esquire, "The Best Songs of 2017 (So Far)," 6 June 2017
A legislative session that began in January concluded Monday, and the day was supposed to be reserved for goofy group photos and sappy goodbyes.

— Washington Post, "Protest sparks Texas lawmaker threats of gun violence," 30 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sappy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of sappy

12th century

sappy Synonyms

Synonyms

chocolate-box, cloying, drippy, fruity, gooey, lovey-dovey, maudlin, mawkish, mushy, novelettish, saccharine, corny, schmaltzy, sentimental, sloppy, slushy, soppy, soupy, spoony (or spooney), sticky, sugarcoated, sugary, wet

Antonyms

unsentimental

Related Words

dreamy, misty-eyed, moonstruck, moony, nostalgic, starry-eyed; feel-good, fuzzy; melodramatic, soap-operatic, soapy, sudsy; flat, insipid, soft-boiled, tasteless, vapid, watery; cutesy, twee [chiefly British]

Near Antonyms

unadulterated, unvarnished; antisentimental, cynical, hard-boiled, hard-edged, hardheaded

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

SAPPY Defined for English Language Learners

sappy

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adjective

Definition of sappy for English Language Learners

: sad or romantic in a foolish or exaggerated way
: foolish or silly : not thinking clearly or showing good judgment
: full of sap

SAPPY Defined for Kids

sappy

play

adjective sap·py \ ˈsa-pē \

Definition of sappy for Students

sappier; sappiest

:sad or romantic in a foolish or exaggerated way

a sappy story

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See words that rhyme with sappy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sappy

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sappy Synonyms

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Other Botany Terms

SAPPY Defined for English Language Learners

sappy

Definition of sappy for English Language Learners

SAPPY Defined for Kids

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Definition of sappy for Students

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