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
While leaders of the nature-study movement warned against sentimentalism and make-believe, young readers were delighted by such tales.
—
Jessica George, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2025
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
Jessica George, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2025
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Sentimentalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sentimentalism. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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