schmaltz

noun

ˈshmȯlts 

ˈshmälts

variants or less commonly schmalz

1

: extremely or excessively sentimental music or art

" … It's not showbiz schmaltz; it's a story about the battle to overcome hardship. … "

—Elton John

A lot of people make fun of this show, pegging it as pure schmaltz.

—ReadWriteWeb (online)

"Doin' It" is both ridiculous schmaltz and a luscious rap song that sounds like a 5:45 p.m. sunset over Gotham City.

—Pete Tosiello

2

: sentimentality sense 1

There is a hint of schmaltz, in the best possible sense—an unabashed emotionalism that puts meat on the bones of the music without violating its essential spirit.

—Louise T. Guinthe

… the arrangements balanced smoky jazz and soft pop without turning to abstraction or schmaltz.

—Rolling Stone (online)

Steven Moffat has written a heart-warming drama, free of schmaltz and sentiment …

—Patrick Mulkern

A sprinkling of schmaltz is expected—nay, needed—in an emotional extravaganza like this, and you couldn't put together a better cast …

—Brian Truitt

3

: rendered animal fat and especially chicken fat

When it's properly made, schmaltz has a brawny, roasted character that comes from the bits of poultry skin that brown in the pan.

—Melissa Clark

"Schmaltz is a basic tenet of Jewish culture. In the real kosher home you couldn't use butter if you were eating meat, so you had schmaltz."

—Stan Zimmerman

There's also the schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) vs. vegetable oil debate. Tastier matzo balls are made with schmaltz.

—John Kessler

schmaltzy

ˈshmȯlt-sē 

ˈshmält-

adjective

… if Mr. [Victor] Young's scores for The Uninvited, Love Letters, and My Foolish Heart are schmaltz, then my musical taste is unabashedly schmaltzy.

—Andrew Sarris

Synonyms

• corn
• goo
• mush
• sludge
• slush
• soap opera
• sorghum

Examples of schmaltz in a Sentence

The movie has too much schmaltz for me.

the love song was a typical example of overproduced schmaltz

Recent Examples on the Web

Doerr, meanwhile, creates a tender kind of suspense, alive and surprising and hopeful without careening into schmaltz. —Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025

Do not skip the rich, crispy schmaltz toasts, which take this dip up a level. —Saveur Editors, Saveur, 5 Feb. 2025

The horror factor, however, takes a back seat when Ally and Jay share comically gratuitous moments of rom-com schmaltz. —Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2025

Or whatever the fat, the combination of oil and the schmaltz at that point, would float up. —Bon Appétit, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Yiddish shmalts, literally, rendered fat

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for schmaltz

• faults
• halts
• malts
• salts
• vaults
• waltz
• asphalts
• assaults
• basalts
• defaults
• exalts
• somersaults

Kids Definition

schmaltz

noun

variants also schmalz

ˈshmȯlts 

: sentimental music or art

schmaltzy

ˈshmȯlt-sē 

adjective