sentiment

[sen-tuh-muhnt]

noun

1. an attitude toward something; regard; opinion.

2. a mental feeling; emotion.

   a sentiment of pity.

3. refined or tender emotion; manifestation of the higher or more refined feelings.

4. exhibition or manifestation of feeling or sensibility, or appeal to the tender emotions, in literature, art, or music.

5. a thought influenced by or proceeding from feeling or emotion.

6. the thought or feeling intended to be conveyed by words, acts, or gestures as distinguished from the words, acts, or gestures themselves.

sentiment

/ ˈsɛntɪmənt /

noun

1. susceptibility to tender, delicate, or romantic emotion

   she has too much sentiment to be successful

2. (often plural) a thought, opinion, or attitude

3. exaggerated, overindulged, or mawkish feeling or emotion

4. an expression of response to deep feeling, esp in art or literature

5. a feeling, emotion, or awareness

   a sentiment of pity

6. a mental attitude modified or determined by feeling

   there is a strong revolutionary sentiment in his country

7. a feeling conveyed, or intended to be conveyed, in words

Other Word Forms

• sentimentless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sentiment¹

First recorded in 1325–75; from Medieval Latin sentīmentum, equivalent to Latin sentī(re) “to feel” + -mentum -ment; replacing Middle English sentement, from Old French, from Medieval Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of sentiment¹

C17: from Medieval Latin sentīmentum, from Latin sentīre to feel

Synonym Study

See opinion. Sentiment, sentimentality are terms for sensitiveness to emotional feelings. Sentiment is a sincere and refined sensibility, a tendency to be influenced by emotion rather than reason or fact: to appeal to sentiment. Sentimentality implies affected, excessive, sometimes mawkish sentiment: weak sentimentality.

Example Sentences

Some families, he says, are glad to accept the virtual option, but others are too burned out by screens, a common sentiment since the online learning days of the pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times

The sentiment was not widely shared, at least in Hollywood, where anxieties about the use and abuse of artificial intelligence replacing actors runs deep.

From Los Angeles Times

There were fabricated rumors of gambling debts and of affiliations with Communists, but the core of opposition was anti-union sentiment in the GOP.

From Los Angeles Times

A number of players took to X to show their support for Collier and the sentiments she expressed.

From Los Angeles Times

He said he assumes the probe is related to the Gaza solidarity encampment at the campus, and feels the investigation is another example of the government equating anti-Israel sentiment with antisemitism.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• attitude 
• bias 
• feeling 
• idea 
• opinion 
• passion 
• position 
• tendency 
• thought 
• view 

When To Use

What are other ways to say sentiment?

A sentiment is a mental feeling or tender emotion, or a thought proceeding from feeling or emotion. How is it different from feeling, emotion, and passion? Find out on Thesaurus.com.