sentimentalize

verb

sen·​ti·​men·​tal·​ize ˌsen-tə-ˈmen-tə-ˌlīz How to pronounce sentimentalize (audio)
sentimentalized; sentimentalizing

intransitive verb

: to indulge in sentiment

transitive verb

: to look upon or imbue with sentiment
sentimentalization noun

Examples of sentimentalize in a Sentence

The movie sentimentalizes the past. He does not sentimentalize in his biography.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
On not a few occasions, Mr. Armani has been aimless, drifty or has fallen into the trap of sentimentalizing his own back pages. Guy Trebay, New York Times, 21 June 2023 History is sentimentalized, making the sketchy story lines seem even more contrived. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2023 Waititi sees sentimentalizing a culture as limiting it. Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 May 2023 Is trading in the currency of the past a way to distance himself from a lonesome present? Raffish and boyish at the same time — or switching between either mode as a cover for the other — O’Connor’s deft, droll performance implies such possibilities without sentimentalizing them. Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 May 2023 See all Example Sentences for sentimentalize 

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of sentimentalize was in 1788

Dictionary Entries Near sentimentalize

Cite this Entry

“Sentimentalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentimentalize. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

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