as in sentimentality
the state or quality of having an excess of tender feelings (as of love, nostalgia, or compassion)
the grating mawkishness of her poetry makes me want to stamp on wildflowers
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Recent Examples of mawkishness
These films explore those bonds without ever resorting to bromides or mawkishness.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
Then things just unravel into a half-hour of thoroughly phony mawkishness.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
Then things just unravel into a half-hour of thoroughly phony mawkishness.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mawkishness
Noun
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Bryant says old postcards, handwritten recipes, or pages from vintage books or magazines are all great options for bringing a little sentimentality into a space.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
2 May 2026
-
Aubrey Larkin blends sentimentality in her inventory of clothes, home goods and accessories inspired her stints living in Nashville and Los Angeles.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
2 May 2026
Noun
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The Academy historically goes for sentimentalism.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
4 Oct. 2025
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McBride is less interested in exploring another motivation for saving locks of hair: the particular sentimentalism that made people cherish the hair of loved ones, especially those who had died, or of honored forebears.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mawkishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mawkishness. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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