as in sentimentality
the state or quality of having an excess of tender feelings (as of love, nostalgia, or compassion)
the novel's sentimentalism bored me
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Recent Examples of sentimentalism
The moment when Sean soothes Laszlo’s fears of losing his best human buddy by telling him that the fear of dying just makes every living moment more special — something else a centuries-old vampire wouldn’t understand — tiptoes right up to the edge of sentimentalism.
—
Katie Rife, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
King’s honeyed voiceover begins the film with a kind of sentimentalism about childhood and its innocence.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 4 July 2024
The next few songs strand us on a mountaintop of sentimentalism, while subtly rebuking race and genre lines.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
In its commitment to a particular kind of sentimentalism, No Hard Feelings doesn’t fully lean into the raunchiness some might expect from its trailer or early buzz.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for sentimentalism
Katie Rife, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
King’s honeyed voiceover begins the film with a kind of sentimentalism about childhood and its innocence.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 4 July 2024
The next few songs strand us on a mountaintop of sentimentalism, while subtly rebuking race and genre lines.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
In its commitment to a particular kind of sentimentalism, No Hard Feelings doesn’t fully lean into the raunchiness some might expect from its trailer or early buzz.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for sentimentalism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sentimentalism
sentimentality
Noun
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The heavy-handed sentimentality is a welcome, necessary respite.—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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Practically the only star who could handle this awkward blend of sincerity and sentimentality was Robin Williams, and rarely has a film premise seemed better suited to his skills.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sentimentalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sentimentalism. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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