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
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
Such critique was partly a backlash against a sentimental, simplistic portrayal of Stevenson as the cheerful invalid.
—
Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
Even as the penny underwent a final redesign in 2010, its tails side replaced with the Union Shield, the whole affair had the sentimental sheen of a farewell tour.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful — a critical and commercial hit at the time, winning three Oscars — has not aged as well, with many now viewing its sentimental take on the Holocaust as uncomfortably glib.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
Markle also incorporated sentimental jewelry pieces with her teaser poster attire.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sentimental
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
Even as the penny underwent a final redesign in 2010, its tails side replaced with the Union Shield, the whole affair had the sentimental sheen of a farewell tour.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful — a critical and commercial hit at the time, winning three Oscars — has not aged as well, with many now viewing its sentimental take on the Holocaust as uncomfortably glib.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
Markle also incorporated sentimental jewelry pieces with her teaser poster attire.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sentimental
Cite this Entry
“Sentimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentimental. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
adverb
-ᵊl-ē
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share