sen·ti·men·tal·ize
ˌsen-tə-ˈmen-tə-ˌlīz 
sentimentalized; sentimentalizing
: to indulge in sentiment
: to look upon or imbue with sentiment
sen·ti·men·tal·iza·tion
-tᵊlˌīˈz-
plural -s
: the act or process of sentimentalizing : the state of being sentimentalized
Examples of sentimentalize in a Sentence
Verb
The movie sentimentalizes the past.
He does not sentimentalize in his biography.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
10 June 2026
McGee accentuates Kenneth’s somber shading to a degree that risks sentimentalizing the character.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Loznitsa neither sentimentalizes nor mocks this impulse; for him, the human will to resist, to cling fast to integrity and courage in the face of a mounting totalitarian horror, is something as real, as undeniable, and therefore worth acknowledging, as the horror itself.
—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
On not a few occasions, Mr. Armani has been aimless, drifty or has fallen into the trap of sentimentalizing his own back pages.
—
Guy Trebay,
New York Times,
21 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for sentimentalize
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Verb
The film neither glamorizes nor indicts Solanas, who Taylor humanizes without softening or sentimentalizing her.
—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
10 June 2026
McGee accentuates Kenneth’s somber shading to a degree that risks sentimentalizing the character.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Loznitsa neither sentimentalizes nor mocks this impulse; for him, the human will to resist, to cling fast to integrity and courage in the face of a mounting totalitarian horror, is something as real, as undeniable, and therefore worth acknowledging, as the horror itself.
—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
On not a few occasions, Mr. Armani has been aimless, drifty or has fallen into the trap of sentimentalizing his own back pages.
—
Guy Trebay,
New York Times,
21 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for sentimentalize
Cite this Entry
“Sentimentalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentimentalize. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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