maudlin
Americanadjective
-
tearfully or weakly emotional; foolishly sentimental.
a maudlin story of a little orphan and her lost dog.
-
foolishly or mawkishly sentimental because of drunkenness.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of maudlin
1500–10; special use of Maudlin, Middle English Maudelen ≪ Late Latin Magdalēnē < Greek Magdalēnḗ Mary Magdalene, portrayed in art as a weeping penitent
Explanation
You can use maudlin to describe something that brings tears to your eyes, or makes you feel very emotional. Tearjerkers like "Forrest Gump" and "Titanic" can be described as maudlin. Maudlin was a form of the name Mary Magdalene, a character from the Bible represented in paintings as a weeping sinner asking forgiveness from Jesus. Maudlin is often paired with sentimental, or even schlocky, to describe cry-fests, as in "I can't watch another second of that overly-sentimental, maudlin soap opera. Turn that schlock off."
Vocabulary lists containing maudlin
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Among his notable original characters were Caballero; Sammy Maudlin, the overly effusive, overemotional host of a variety talk show; and most memorably, Count Floyd, the howling, cackling, frustrated vampiric host of “Monster Chiller Horror Theatre.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2024
A year later, Holly drafted in guitarist Nikki Sullivan and bassist Joe B Maudlin, christening his new band The Crickets.
From BBC • Aug. 23, 2022
But to my mind, information-based takes on quantum mechanics are even less plausible than the interpretations that Maudlin scrutinizes.
From Scientific American • Aug. 14, 2021
It’s as if the author were gunning for the Paulo Coelho Chair in Maudlin Schlock.
From New York Times • Feb. 19, 2020
Maudlin walked backward until he was almost in the brush.
From Rose O'Paradise by White, Grace Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
