1
as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
a sappy letter filled with silly romantic clichés
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a sappy plan to try to get her divorced parents back together again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sappy
With a pair of catwalks jutting from the oval stage, the guys roam into the crowd, all while hitting their dance moves, and blending their upbeat pop anthems with the sappier ballads that made them into a heartthrob collective.
—
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Sure, the film wades into soap opera-esque territory more than once — especially with the predictably sappy ending — but the at-times unusual and always heartfelt family dynamic between Bill, Erica, Samantha, and Rusty still rings true.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 10 Aug. 2025
Without succumbing to a sappy ending, Reza makes a strong case for valuing relationships over intellectual homogeneity — an outlook that can feel either naïve or hopeful in polarizing times.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2025
This has reflected neither sappy altruism nor cynical neoimperialism but an understanding that in the modern world, economics and security need to be handled at something beyond the national level.
—Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sappy
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Sure, the film wades into soap opera-esque territory more than once — especially with the predictably sappy ending — but the at-times unusual and always heartfelt family dynamic between Bill, Erica, Samantha, and Rusty still rings true.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 10 Aug. 2025
Without succumbing to a sappy ending, Reza makes a strong case for valuing relationships over intellectual homogeneity — an outlook that can feel either naïve or hopeful in polarizing times.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2025
This has reflected neither sappy altruism nor cynical neoimperialism but an understanding that in the modern world, economics and security need to be handled at something beyond the national level.
—Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sappy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sappy
Adjective
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Her new album, La Dame, unites slower and more sentimental shatta ballads with the thumping dancefloor heaters that first drew me to her music.—
Anna Gaca,
Pitchfork,
13 Jan. 2026
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In December 2025, Bündchen reflected on how her baby boy's birth changed her life in a sentimental Instagram post.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This struck many experts as silly.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Frequent co-stars Johnson and Hart, known for their hilarious chemistry, have played Rock, Paper, Scissors and other silly games in promos for their movies, especially their Jumanji films.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Cramer said strong signs from forwarding holiday spending suggest inflation may remain sticky, setting up tension between a president eager to contain prices and consumers who have borne the brunt of inflation.—
Luke Fountain,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2026
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To keep a tension rod from slipping, look for rods that have rubber stoppers on the ends or that come with sticky wall brackets.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Set in a perpetually sunny, idealized England vaguely between the wars, The Code of the Woosters concerns the misadventures of man-about-town Bertie Wooster (stupid, amiable, rich) and his impeccably helpful valet Jeeves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
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At Amiri’s trial last year, Manly-Williams was brushed off by the defense as the stupidest witness prosecutors presented.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The crewneck sweater with button details and batwing sleeves creates an oversized fit that feels effortless without looking sloppy.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Jan. 2026
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The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Joe Mazzulla’s squad, which looked sluggish and sloppy for much of the night.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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House’s agenda is to get Cooper to reveal himself as secretly working against Vault-Tec for resistance leader Lee Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury), but Cooper isn’t that foolish.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2026
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The Giants would be foolish to pay Harbaugh a ton of money and then not take full advantage of his expertise in the science of winning.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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After the first Roundtable, Survivor stalwart Rob Cesternino — perhaps clued in by Candiace’s absurd conga line ploy to get people out of the kitchen — sniffed out that a murder in plain sight could be happening.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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Contrary to what many may think, the researchers found no correlation between a person’s level of education and their capacity to believe in absurd conspiracies.—
Joe Wilkins Published Jan 8,
Futurism,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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So that fundamental feeling of powerlessness in the face of larger, ominous and obscure forces doesn’t feel very crazy or conspiratorial to me.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
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Drinkers sometimes complained that wines tasted weird and crazy, not just wild, and inconsistent from bottle to bottle.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sappy. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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