Synonyms of maudlin

maudlin

adjective

ˈmȯd-lən 

as in sentimental

appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way

a maudlin movie about a lovable tramp

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sentimental
• sloppy
• sticky
• mawkish
• schmaltzy
• cloying
• saccharine
• sappy
• wet
• fuzzy
• soppy
• drippy
• sugary
• mushy
• corny
• gooey
• sugarcoated
• slushy
• chocolate-box
• soupy
• lovey-dovey
• spoony
• nostalgic
• melodramatic
• moony
• fruity
• dreamy
• novelettish
• feel-good
• moonstruck
• misty-eyed
• soapy
• insipid
• vapid
• sudsy
• starry-eyed
• tasteless
• soap-operatic
• cutesy
• watery
• soft-boiled
• twee
• flat

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unsentimental
• cynical
• unvarnished
• unadulterated
• hardheaded
• hard-edged
• hard-boiled
• antisentimental

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of maudlin

But only Kehlani with her un-maudlin yearning could’ve fleshed it out. — Alfred Soto, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026

Conspicuously absent from Cherfilus-McCormick’s maudlin resignation statement was regret for misleading voters, or for leaving them unrepresented again while Congress faces some of the most fraught issues in our history. — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026

Good intentions — and handsome animation — aside, Forevergreen is ultimately too maudlin and moralistic to rank it much higher than this. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026

As the whole business dragged on, the atmosphere started to seem less like a game show and more like the late-night Jerry Lewis telethons of the 1970s, in which a tired but pumped Lewis alternately griped at the audience, broke into maudlin emotion, or jumped up to welcome a new guest. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026

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