maudlin

[ mawd-lin ]
/ ˈmɔd lɪn /
SEE 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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM maudlin

Words nearby maudlin

Mauá, Maubeuge, mauby, Mauchly, maud, maudlin, Maudslay, mauger, Maugham, maugre, Maui
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to maudlin

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

Example sentences from the Web for maudlin

British Dictionary definitions for maudlin

maudlin
/ (ˈmɔːdlɪn) /

adjective

foolishly tearful or sentimental, as when drunk

Derived forms of maudlin

maudlinism, 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