as in sensational
arousing a strong and usually superficial interest or emotional reaction
letters to the editor criticizing the newspaper's sensationalistic reporting
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Recent Examples of sensationalistic
And the patchwork style of Brij Sadanah’s direction enhances the colorfully over-the-top story, which recasts Wuthering Heights as a sensationalistic revenge drama.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
The result is just old-fashioned cinematic fools’ gold, in which sensationalistic blather poses as social commentary.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
With a lesser interpreter, the movie might have been just a sensationalistic shocker, but Keaton brought integrity and emotional candor to Theresa’s messy search to define herself.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
The result is just old-fashioned cinematic fools’ gold, in which sensationalistic blather poses as social commentary.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
With a lesser interpreter, the movie might have been just a sensationalistic shocker, but Keaton brought integrity and emotional candor to Theresa’s messy search to define herself.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sensationalistic
Adjective
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Jurors also considered Meta’s failure to enforce its ban on users under 13, the role of its algorithms in prioritizing sensational or harmful content, and the prevalence of social media content about teen suicide.—
Morgan Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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There’s a lot riding on the sensational K-pop group’s first album in four years, but its generic songs ring hollow and lack the vim and vigor of the band’s best work.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But times have changed, and this team of buffoons is forced to grapple with changing industry ethics and sensationalist journalism in its transition, all while Ron faces an identity crisis that challenges his bravado, his massive ego.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sensationalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sensationalistic. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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