maudlin
[ mawd-lin ]
/ ˈmɔd lɪn /
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
- mau-mau,
- maubeuge,
- mauby,
- mauchly,
- maud,
- maudlinly,
- maudslay,
- mauger,
- maugham,
- 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for maudlin
maudlin
/ (ˈmɔːdlɪn) /
adjective
foolishly tearful or sentimental, as when drunk
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
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maudlin
c.1600, "tearful," from Middle English fem. proper name Maudelen (early 14c.), from Magdalene (Old French Madelaine), woman's name, originally surname of Mary the repentant sinner forgiven by Jesus in Luke vii:37 (see Magdalene). In paintings, she often was shown weeping as a sign of repentance. Meaning "characterized by tearful sentimentality" is recorded by 1630s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper