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

• chocolate-box
• cloying
• corny
• drippy
• fruity
• gooey
• lovey-dovey
• maudlin
• mawkish
• mushy
• novelettish
• saccharine
• sappy
• schmaltzy
• sloppy
• slushy
• soppy
• soupy
• spoony
• spooney
• sticky
• sugarcoated
• sugary
• wet

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

To mark Valentine's Day this year, Gale shared a sentimental post featuring photos of the couple from over the years, including one taken on their very first date. —Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 3 Sep. 2024

Cinema can be a disruptive force and can also give us a new conscience about something – an emotional, sentimental feeling. —Lucía Requejo, Variety, 14 Aug. 2024

Thompson returning to San Francisco will certainly make for a sentimental moment. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2024

Devin doesn’t seem to exhibit the classic moody, sentimental Cancer moon traits. —Liz Simmons, StyleCaster, 12 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sentimental

• anti-sentimental
• sentimental value

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