as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
a mawkish plea for donations to the charity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mawkish
These kinds of pictures are intended to provoke—to catch the eye with their mawkish absurdity and uncanny-valley optics.
—
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2025
The flashbacks are dreamy without becoming mawkish, and Gemma’s scenes in Lumon are nightmarish without feeling untethered or otherwordly.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 Feb. 2025
Roz rescues wildlife in a Noah’s Ark analogue, then goes from being a disingenuous Christ figure offering sacrifice and promise (but no resurrection) to a mawkish maternal figure.
—Armond White, National Review, 26 Feb. 2025
Beyond all the legal and even medical specifics resides a sense of communal understanding, and — at the risk of sounding mawkish — a deep and abiding love for one’s fellow human beings, which Feder taps into with aplomb.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mawkish
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2025
The flashbacks are dreamy without becoming mawkish, and Gemma’s scenes in Lumon are nightmarish without feeling untethered or otherwordly.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 28 Feb. 2025
Roz rescues wildlife in a Noah’s Ark analogue, then goes from being a disingenuous Christ figure offering sacrifice and promise (but no resurrection) to a mawkish maternal figure.
—Armond White, National Review, 26 Feb. 2025
Beyond all the legal and even medical specifics resides a sense of communal understanding, and — at the risk of sounding mawkish — a deep and abiding love for one’s fellow human beings, which Feder taps into with aplomb.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mawkish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mawkish
Adjective
-
Musk appeared sentimental upon the announcement that Tesla would wind down production of the vehicles.—
Andrea Guzmán,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Crushow Herring, the art director of the Sidewalk Project, said Raines was both sentimental and protective of the homeless community.—
Rebecca Boone,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As the most populous and sprawling county in the state, Fulton has often been tagged by Republicans as the bad egg among elections offices for its past record of long lines, late returns and sloppy bookkeeping.—
Patricia Murphy,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Officials say the scammers' schemes range from the savvy to the sloppy -- and all are brazen.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Add up to 1/4 cup remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, if dough is too sticky.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Over the last few years, a mix of economic hurdles, like rapidly rising prices caused by sticky inflation, has helped to drive borrowers' reliance on credit cards upward and high average credit card rates have further propelled cardholders' balances upward.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mawkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mawkish. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
