as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
a mawkish plea for donations to the charity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sentimentality
the state or quality of having an excess of tender feelings (as of love, nostalgia, or compassion)
the grating mawkishness of her poetry makes me want to stamp on wildflowers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mawkish
Kris Holt, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2024
His desire to wrest explicit meaning out of the mother’s experience and corral viewers toward a single conclusion unwittingly places The Deliverance in mawkish and disappointingly cartoonish territory.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Now, after the two men canoodle, there’s a mawkish finale meant to invoke purpose and principle.
—Armond White, National Review, 26 July 2024
Most important is the songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, who might be a Broadway newcomer, but whose lyrics eschew the mawkish pitfalls in favor of simple, direct communication of intense but familiar emotions through melody and song.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mawkish
Adjective
And the hints for today’s groups are: Yellow group — leader or main thing
Green group — these can be prickly
Blue group — mawkish movies, perhaps
Purple group — these have a limit, some might say
What Are Today’s Connections Groups?
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2024
His desire to wrest explicit meaning out of the mother’s experience and corral viewers toward a single conclusion unwittingly places The Deliverance in mawkish and disappointingly cartoonish territory.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Now, after the two men canoodle, there’s a mawkish finale meant to invoke purpose and principle.
—Armond White, National Review, 26 July 2024
Most important is the songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, who might be a Broadway newcomer, but whose lyrics eschew the mawkish pitfalls in favor of simple, direct communication of intense but familiar emotions through melody and song.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mawkish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mawkish
Adjective
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Strahovski and her family said their goodbyes to the city in a sentimental post in February 2025.—
Emy LaCroix,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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The British monarch and his longtime partner, who celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, marked the sentimental milestone on Monday with a pair of portraits shared on social media.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Academy did not specifically name Ballal in a statement condemning violence. overnights Yesterday at 9:30 p.m. RuPaul’s Drag Race Recap: Mom and Pop Drag Race’s penchant for sentimentality ends up making for an entertaining and memorable episode.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
28 Mar. 2025
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That would better satisfy the yearning for sentimentality that director John Rando relies on.—
Karen D'Souza,
The Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Had the veteran made sloppy errors or been at blame for any goals conceded, Farke would have been left with nowhere else to turn.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
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During Nebraska’s run, Cardenas endured an uncharacteristic sloppy spell, turning over the ball six times in the first half.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
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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
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King’s honeyed voiceover begins the film with a kind of sentimentalism about childhood and its innocence.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
4 July 2024
Adjective
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Aphids excrete the sap as honeydew, leaving leaves sticky and susceptible to sooty mold.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
3 Apr. 2025
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Pitchers were becoming too dominant with the sticky stuff.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mawkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mawkish. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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