sentiment

noun sen·ti·ment \ ˈsen-tə-mənt \

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: sentiment in a Sentence

Definition of sentiment

1 a : an attitude, thought, or judgment prompted by feeling : predilection

b : a specific view or notion : opinion

2 a : emotion

b : refined feeling : delicate sensibility especially as expressed in a work of art

c : emotional idealism

d : a romantic or nostalgic feeling verging on sentimentality

3 a : an idea colored by emotion

b : the emotional significance of a passage or expression as distinguished from its verbal context

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Examples of sentiment in a Sentence

His criticism of the court's decision expresses a sentiment that is shared by many people.
an expression of antiwar sentiments
She likes warmth and sentiment in a movie.
You have to be tough to succeed in the business world. There's no room for sentiment.

Recent Examples of sentiment from the Web

The reactionary sentiment of the past decade seems less like an uptick than a storm surge.

— heather souvaine horn, The New Republic, "Donald Trump, Meghan Markle, and America’s enduring obsession with the British royals," 12 July 2018
Tiran still grieving, expressed to PEOPLE magazine some sentiments of his late wife.

— ashley mcdonough, Essence.com, "GoFundMe Set Up For Family Of Atlanta Woman Killed In Bahamas Boat Accident On Her Anniversary Raises $140K," 12 July 2018
That sentiment was shared by a royal visitor to London a century ago — Prince Fushimi, cousin to the emperor of Japan.

— tim smith, baltimoresun.com, "Young Victorian Theatre Co. approaches 'Mikado' mindful of controversy," 6 July 2018
Swiss players Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri — born in Kosovo — showed anti-Serbian sentiment with hand gestures that could have resulted in suspensions during a group stage game.

— hayden bird, BostonGlobe.com, "What to know about the World Cup title match," 14 July 2018
The most recent attack, however, is raising uncomfortable questions not only about anti-Semitic sentiments but also about the response of authorities.

— rick noack, Washington Post, "A Baltimore professor was the victim of an anti-Semitic attack and then German police punched him," 13 July 2018
Papandrea said this sentiment is shared among other other production studios.

— refinery29.com, "Looking Ahead To The 2019 Lineup, Will Hollywood Greenlight More Women-Led Projects?," 13 July 2018
Anti-Japanese sentiment also helped build the Klan.

— Longreads, "Oregon’s Racist Past," 12 July 2018
And three more wrestlers, who spoke with other publications and whose accounts have not been verified by NBC News, have expressed similar sentiments about Jordan.

— NBC News, "Ohio State wrestlers disagree over whether Jim Jordan knew of abuse," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sentiment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sentiment

French or Medieval Latin; French, from Medieval Latin sentimentum, from Latin sentire

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1639

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

sentiment Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of sentiment

feeling, emotion, affection, sentiment, passion mean a subjective response to a person, thing, or situation. feeling denotes any partly mental, partly physical response marked by pleasure, pain, attraction, or repulsion; it may suggest the mere existence of a response but imply nothing about the nature or intensity of it.

- the feelings that once moved me are gone

emotion carries a strong implication of excitement or agitation but, like feeling, encompasses both positive and negative responses.

- the drama portrays the emotions of adolescence

affection applies to feelings that are also inclinations or likings.

- a memoir of childhood filled with affection for her family

sentiment often implies an emotion inspired by an idea.

- her feminist sentiments are well known

passion suggests a very powerful or controlling emotion.

- revenge became his ruling passion

opinion, view, belief, conviction, persuasion, sentiment mean a judgment one holds as true. opinion implies a conclusion thought out yet open to dispute.