sen·ti·men·tal·ism
ˌsen-tə-ˈmen-tə-ˌli-zəm 
1
: the disposition to favor or indulge in sentimentality
2
: an excessively sentimental conception or statement
plural -s
: one disposed to indulge in sensibility or sentimentality : romanticist
was essentially a sentimentalist with feelings close to the surface and stirred by the lightest touch—
G. S. Haight
G. S. Haightthe sentimentalist, who lives by illusions, is let down more gently in English fiction than in French—Harry Levin
Harry Levinthe nerveless sentimentalist and dreamer, who spends his life in a weltering sea of sensibility and emotion—William James
William JamesExamples of sentimentalism in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the sentimentalism of 19th-century art
the novel's sentimentalism bored me
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
McBride is less interested in exploring another motivation for saving locks of hair: the particular sentimentalism that made people cherish the hair of loved ones, especially those who had died, or of honored forebears.
—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
While leaders of the nature-study movement warned against sentimentalism and make-believe, young readers were delighted by such tales.
—
Jessica George,
JSTOR Daily,
25 June 2025
King’s honeyed voiceover begins the film with a kind of sentimentalism about childhood and its innocence.
—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
4 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for sentimentalism
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Noun
The Academy historically goes for sentimentalism.
—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
McBride is less interested in exploring another motivation for saving locks of hair: the particular sentimentalism that made people cherish the hair of loved ones, especially those who had died, or of honored forebears.
—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
While leaders of the nature-study movement warned against sentimentalism and make-believe, young readers were delighted by such tales.
—
Jessica George,
JSTOR Daily,
25 June 2025
King’s honeyed voiceover begins the film with a kind of sentimentalism about childhood and its innocence.
—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
4 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for sentimentalism
Cite this Entry
“Sentimentalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentimentalism. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sentimentalism
noun
sen·ti·men·tal·ism
ˌsent-ə-ˈment-ᵊl-ˌiz-əm
1
: a tendency to be sentimental
2
: an overly sentimental idea or statement
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