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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of mawkish
Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2024
The Oscar shorts are made entirely out of scenes like these, but there is no context — just hours and hours of garish twists and mawkish sentiment.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2024
Based on the 2005 bestselling book, Marley & Me had the potential to come across as a mawkish tale of puppy love, but instead is told as a heartwarming story of friendship, loss, and letting go.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 14 Nov. 2023
Ed refused to spoon Bob, and his gentle and emancipated soul would surely rebuff mawkish kindness.
—Daniel Felsenthal, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mawkish 
Adjective
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
The Oscar shorts are made entirely out of scenes like these, but there is no context — just hours and hours of garish twists and mawkish sentiment.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2024
Based on the 2005 bestselling book, Marley & Me had the potential to come across as a mawkish tale of puppy love, but instead is told as a heartwarming story of friendship, loss, and letting go.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 14 Nov. 2023
Ed refused to spoon Bob, and his gentle and emancipated soul would surely rebuff mawkish kindness.
—Daniel Felsenthal, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mawkish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mawkish
Adjective
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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
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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
Noun
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Of course, anyone with a low tolerance for sugary sweet, sometimes sticky sentimentality would want to suck on a pack of lemons afterwards.Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
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Peels back the layers of sentimentality surrounding panda conservation, revealing the unsettling realities that hinder its primary objective: protecting the species from human ambitions.Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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In a sloppy game that included 21 penalties between the teams, the Bears got in the end zone just once — their only offensive touchdown of the first two weeks.Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
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That’s one of the lessons these Rams, especially the younger ones, can take away from this sloppy experience.Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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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
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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
Adjective
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Of course, anyone with a low tolerance for sugary sweet, sometimes sticky sentimentality would want to suck on a pack of lemons afterwards.Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
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To avoid a potentially sticky situation, go with one of these six leak-free options.Catherine Garcia, theweek, 12 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near mawkish
Cite this Entry
“Mawkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mawkish. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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