as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
a mawkish plea for donations to the charity
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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
See All Example Sentences for mawkish
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
See All Example Sentences for mawkish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mawkish
Adjective
-
Spielberg's vision is sentimental yet feels so satisfying.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
-
This exuberance isn’t without a sentimental heart.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
San Antonio made nine of its first 11 shots, with the Knicks and their fans frustrated by the referees and the home team’s sloppy play, and led 33-22 after one.—
Brian Mahoney,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Later in 2025 Blanche oversaw the release of documents as mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which drew criticism from Epstein survivors as being slow, sloppy, and incomplete.—
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Certain traps, such as the sticky paper ones, eventually run out of space.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
-
The hot, humid, and sticky weather is expected to continue into Wednesday.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mawkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mawkish. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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