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
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
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Andrew Tate and the U-91 leads the standings coming into Mission Bay, although the sentimental favorite could be Dave Villwock, a longshot entering the weekend in fourth place.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Sep. 2025
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Coel gets her moments to assert her character, a smooth operator who masks a surprising sentimental streak.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The three-part Season 5 premiere feels incredibly sloppy to me overall.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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With that history and with Aaron Glenn trying to deliver a message just one game into his head coaching career, Gipson will serve as the example to the rest of the Jets' roster that sloppy turnovers will not be tolerated.—
Michael Hurley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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According to San Angelo, some signs of a dirty microwave filter include if they are discolored, sticky, and/or sometimes smell like grease.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
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Sapodilla, a pear-like fruit that looks like a coconut, adds a malty butterscotch intensity to a sticky toffee pudding.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mawkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mawkish. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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