sentimental

adjective

sen·​ti·​men·​tal ˌsen-tə-ˈmen-tᵊl 

1

a

: marked or governed by feeling, sensibility, or emotional idealism

b

: resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought

a sentimental attachment

a sentimental favorite

2

: having an excess of sentiment or sensibility

sentimentally adverb

Synonyms

• chocolate-box
• cloying
• corny
• drippy
• fruity
• gooey
• lovey-dovey
• maudlin
• mawkish
• mushy
• novelettish
• saccharine
• sappy
• schmaltzy
• sloppy
• slushy
• soppy
• soupy
• spoony
• spooney
• sticky
• sugarcoated
• sugary
• wet

Examples of sentimental in a Sentence

He has a sentimental attachment to his old high school.

She saved her wedding gown for sentimental reasons.

He has sentimental ideas about the past.

I tend to get very sentimental when I think about my childhood.

Recent Examples on the Web

These channels, which come from all over the world, are like that, but without the sentimental backstories. —Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

The sentimental montage began with a clip of Jenn, 26, crying while confronting her ex-fiancé Devin Strader at the After the Final Rose ceremony. —Esther Kang, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024

But any film that tangles with big human feelings risks being characterized—to come back to that all-too-convenient word—as sentimental. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 1 Nov. 2024

To honor the deceased, foods such as sugar skulls, sweetbread rolls and beverages are arranged on ofrendas, or house altars, along with clay ornaments and sentimental objects. —Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Courier-Journal, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sentimental

• anti-sentimental
• sentimental value

Kids Definition

sentimental

adjective

sen·​ti·​men·​tal ˌsent-ə-ˈment-ᵊl 

1

a

: marked by feeling or sentiment

b

: resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought

2

: having an excess of sentiment or sensibility

sentimentally

-ᵊl-ē

adverb