sentimentalize

[ sen-tuh-men-tl-ahyz ]

verb (used without object)

, sen·ti·men·tal·ized, sen·ti·men·tal·iz·ing.

1. to indulge in sentiment.

verb (used with object)

, sen·ti·men·tal·ized, sen·ti·men·tal·iz·ing.

1. to view (someone or something) sentimentally:

   He sentimentalized the relationship until all real meaning was lost.

sentimentalize

/ ˌsɛntɪˈmɛntəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to make sentimental or behave sentimentally

Derived Forms

• ˌsentiˌmentaliˈzation, noun

Other Words From

• senti·mental·i·zation noun
• senti·mental·izer noun
• over·senti·mental·ize verb oversentimentalized oversentimentalizing
• semi·senti·mental·ized adjective
• unsen·ti·mental·ized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sentimentalize¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; sentimental + -ize

Example Sentences

I am not going to sentimentalize over my copy, for how much of it have I read?

From Project Gutenberg

To sentimentalize over a criminal—to "forgive" because of a glow of feeling—is to incur liability for production of criminals.

From Project Gutenberg

I have talked with no sensible person who proposes to sentimentalize over the law-breaker.

From Project Gutenberg

Then the white race began to sentimentalize over them, and sincere scientific people to deplore their evanescence.

From Project Gutenberg

She was too much a child of the prairie to morbidly sentimentalize over the matter.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• glamorize
• idealize
• romanticize

More About Sentimentalize

What does sentimentalize mean?

Sentimentalize means to view or portray someone or something in a way that’s sentimental—one that appeals to sensitive or tender emotions, such as love, nostalgia, or pity.

Sentimentalize and sentimental are based on the sense of the word sentiment that refers to sensitive or tender emotions, sensitivity to such emotions, or appeal to such emotions.

Such terms are especially used to imply that these emotions are exaggerated or overindulged. Sometimes, they imply that these emotions get in the way of thinking logically or being realistic.

People are sometimes criticized for sentimentalizing (or oversentimentalizing), as in Stop sentimentalizing everything and looking at things through rose-colored glasses.  

These kinds of criticisms are especially common in the context of art. For example, a book or film may be criticized as sentimentalizing a historical event. This implies that it portrays the event in an idealized, simplistic, or nostalgic way instead of depicting it accurately and dealing with what really happened.

The words romanticize, idealize, and glamorize are used in similar ways.

Example: Stories that sentimentalize the past as a golden age are often drawing on a false nostalgia and wishing to go back to a time that never really existed.

Where does sentimentalize come from?

The first records of the word sentimentalize come from the late 1700s. The word sentimental is first recorded earlier, in the mid-1700s. The word sentiment is first recorded in the 1300s and comes from the Latin verb sentī(re), meaning “to feel.” The suffix -ize is used to form verbs that indicate a change in state.

When something is sentimentalized, it can have the effect of changing how you feel about it. Often, sentimentalizing something means portraying it or thinking about it in more positive or even idealized terms. Such sentimentalizing is often criticized because it’s done at the expense of seeing how things really are or how they really happened.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to sentimentalize?

• oversentimentalize (verb)
• sentimentalization (noun)
• sentimental (noun)

What are some synonyms for sentimentalize?

• romanticize

What are some words that share a root or word element with sentimentalize? 

• sentiment
• sentimentality
• sentimentalism
• sentimentalist
• sentimental value

What are some words that often get used in discussing sentimentalize?

• book
• film
• nostalgia
• maudlin
• mawkish
• sappy
• melodramatic
• romantic
• weepy

How is sentimentalize used in real life?

Sentimentalize is often used in a critical way when things are viewed or portrayed in an overly sentimental way.

.@nytimesbooks weighs in on TEMP. "Here, finally, is a book that encourages us to imagine a future that is inclusive and humane rather than sentimentalize a past that never truly was."

Well done, @louishyman.

You can have the couch now.
https://t.co/7PvAv0V7pu

— Katherine Howe (@katherinebhowe) August 22, 2018

This #royalwedding speech!!

Love. There is power in love. Don't over sentimentalize it. Don't just think about it in its romantic forms. When you are loved and you know it. When you love and you show it, it actually feels right. There is power in love to show us the way to live

— Anne-Marie Tomchak (@AMTomchak) May 19, 2018

"Buñuel is my first deep love in cinema. He is the adult that pulled the plug on the human art of pretending…He understands human nature while refusing to sentimentalize it."— Read Jane Campion's Top 10! https://t.co/S8KVXU4c3P #bornonthisday pic.twitter.com/8wCWQ2d82y

— Criterion Collection (@Criterion) April 30, 2018

 

Try using sentimentalize!

Which of the following words would NOT be used to describe something that has been sentimentalized?

A. realistic
B. idealized
C. romanticized
D. glamorized