Dictionary.com
definitions

maudlin

[ mawd-lin ]
/ ˈmɔd lɪn /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR maudlin ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

tearfully or weakly emotional; foolishly sentimental: a maudlin story of a little orphan and her lost dog.
foolishly or mawkishly sentimental because of drunkenness.

RELATED WORDS

weepy, sentimental, romantic, mushy, mawkish, syrupy, befuddled, confused, insipid, lachrymose, slush, soap, soapy, tearful, weak, bathetic, drippy, schmaltzy, soppy, gushing

Nearby words

  1. mau-mau,
  2. maubeuge,
  3. mauby,
  4. mauchly,
  5. maud,
  6. maudlinly,
  7. maudslay,
  8. mauger,
  9. maugham,
  10. maugham, william somerset

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
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for maudlin

British Dictionary definitions for maudlin

maudlin

/ (ˈmɔːdlɪn) /

adjective

foolishly tearful or sentimental, as when drunk
Derived Formsmaudlinism, nounmaudlinly, adverbmaudlinness, noun

Word Origin for maudlin

C17: from Middle English Maudelen Mary Magdalene, typically portrayed as a tearful penitent
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012