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
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
Despite the grievous subject matter, there is not a single note in Vega’s catalogue that could be heard as mawkish or emotionally overwrought.
—Emma Madden, Vulture, 9 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for mawkish
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 15 May 2025
Despite the grievous subject matter, there is not a single note in Vega’s catalogue that could be heard as mawkish or emotionally overwrought.
—Emma Madden, Vulture, 9 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for mawkish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mawkish
Adjective
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One of the newest bands on the Street Mob roster, the quartet has stood out for its smoother, more sentimental approach to música mexicana — and for the wildly likable onstage presence of singer and frontman Gustavo Raya-García.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
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Exceptions To My Closet Clean-Out Rule The only exceptions to my rule are extremely sentimental and/or dressy pieces.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The Penguins were sloppy in the defensive zone and didn’t put the Flyers away on the power play.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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A couple sloppy Westlake possessions have given the Lady Tigers the momentum.—
American-Statesman staff,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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When slicked with oil over high heat, the morsels crisp into a textural marvel, jumping a long way from their original sticky form.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
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Brewing economic conditions suggest, however, that when Warsh takes office, presumably in May, central bank policymakers could be facing both a wobbly jobs picture and sticky inflation made worse by spiraling energy prices.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mawkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mawkish. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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