as in sloppy
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
a sentimental story about unrequited love
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sentimental
My research focuses on nostalgia – a sentimental longing for treasured moments in our personal pasts – and how nostalgia is linked to our well-being and feelings of connection with others.
—
Chelsea Reid, The Conversation, 17 June 2025
There’s a reason this was everyone’s sentimental pick on Sunday at this U.S. Open.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Both of those shows’ sentimental and sweet-natured finales, both of which had aired in the previous year, loomed large in memory.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 5 June 2025
As school years around the country wind down, many students have been paying tribute to their own Miss Honey-esque teachers on TikTok, using the voiceover and the sentimental music that goes with it to introduce educators who made a difference in their lives each year.
—Kate Hogan, People.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sentimental
Chelsea Reid, The Conversation, 17 June 2025
There’s a reason this was everyone’s sentimental pick on Sunday at this U.S. Open.
—Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Both of those shows’ sentimental and sweet-natured finales, both of which had aired in the previous year, loomed large in memory.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 5 June 2025
As school years around the country wind down, many students have been paying tribute to their own Miss Honey-esque teachers on TikTok, using the voiceover and the sentimental music that goes with it to introduce educators who made a difference in their lives each year.
—Kate Hogan, People.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sentimental
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sentimental
Adjective
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Crystal Skull is easily Spielberg’s laziest, sloppiest work — even the action sequences seem phoned-in — and it’s filled with unforgivable howlers: Shia LaBeouf’s limp attempt at being a bad boy, Cate Blanchett’s hammy villain, the goddamn fridge scene.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
20 June 2025
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The Cardinals took full advantage of the sloppy inning, scoring five runs on the way to clobbering the Sox 12-2 in front of 16,974 at Rate Field.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
Our formulas are oxybenzone-free, water- and sweat-resistant, and designed lightweight unlike typical sport sunscreens that leave you feeling sticky or break down in the heat of competition.—
Dave Knox,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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Season 3, relentless in its examination of the sticky contours of Carm’s trauma, offered fewer bursts of that kind of respite.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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After a mawkish beginning, the play somewhat redeems itself through earned emotions and an ambiguous ending that begs discussion.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, jailed and banned frequently, has never allowed his work to get mawkish.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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To his credit, Wax achieves the challenging task of convincingly creating Izzy’s prize-winning poetry, which rings true to the character without being maudlin, arch or pretentious.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 June 2025
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He’s also invested his protagonist with a self-deprecating sense of humor that keeps his pessimism from veering into maudlin territory.—
Book Marks
June 13,
Literary Hub,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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There is always the wide-brim sun hat, which brings a real level of drama and panache to every occasion—and can be subverted from its saccharine ways—just look at how Alessandro Michele paired his at Valentino with a pair of groovy trousers and an opulent cropped jacket on the runway.—
Laia Garcia-Furtado,
Vogue,
5 June 2025
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Despite that high percentage of rye, this bourbon reads as quite sweet on the palate—never saccharine, to be clear, but pleasantly so with notes of vanilla, flamed custard, maple, brown sugar, and milk and dark chocolate.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
Of course, be mindful of where cords are running to prevent them from getting wet during our frequent spring and summer showers.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
20 June 2025
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When the humidity is factored in, the heat indices and wet bulb globe temperatures will be at dangerous levels for activity, exertion, and our infrastructure.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Awards prognostication is similarly fuzzy too, although technical noms will be its strongest play.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
17 June 2025
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Sometimes the mission has been fuzzy or concealed: not long after the White House deployed seven hundred marines to Los Angeles, purportedly to help quell the protests against immigration raids, photos spread of them detaining a protester.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sentimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sentimental. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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