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
Hamnet is a somber watch, much more nakedly sentimental and weepy than Zhao’s other films (including the wonderful neo-Western The Rider, the Oscar-winning drama Nomadland, and the Marvel curio Eternals).
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2025
That concern takes on particular resonance during the holiday season, when the volume of mail — billions of sentimental items from Christmas cards to Black Friday purchases — ramps up.
—Susan Haigh, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2025
This is clearly not a hunting scene—though the Natufians did consume geese—but suggests a sentimental or deeply meaningful relationship between the bird and the person.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Nov. 2025
At the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London this week, Kate opted for sentimental jewelry once again, in the form of a pair of dazzling Cartier earrings that belonged to the late Queen.
—Emily Chan, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sentimental
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David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2025
That concern takes on particular resonance during the holiday season, when the volume of mail — billions of sentimental items from Christmas cards to Black Friday purchases — ramps up.
—Susan Haigh, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2025
This is clearly not a hunting scene—though the Natufians did consume geese—but suggests a sentimental or deeply meaningful relationship between the bird and the person.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Nov. 2025
At the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London this week, Kate opted for sentimental jewelry once again, in the form of a pair of dazzling Cartier earrings that belonged to the late Queen.
—Emily Chan, Vogue, 22 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 3 Dec. 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
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