Synonyms of mawkish

mawkish

adjective

ˈmȯ-kish 

as in sentimental

appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way

a mawkish plea for donations to the charity

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mawkish

Knight’s directorial debut never tips over into mawkish but has some unashamedly tender moments. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026

After a mawkish beginning, the play somewhat redeems itself through earned emotions and an ambiguous ending that begs discussion. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 June 2025

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, jailed and banned frequently, has never allowed his work to get mawkish. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025

If that line of reasoning is too mawkish and bleeding-heart for your taste, Worsley makes a more pragmatic argument for a generous, welcoming immigration policy, one unsentimentally rooted in cold dollars and cents. — Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 15 May 2025

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