maudlin

[mawd-lin]

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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.

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 formsmaud·lin·ism, nounmaud·lin·ly, adverbmaud·lin·ness, nounun·maud·lin, adjectiveun·maud·lin·ly, adverb

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

Related Words for maudlin

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

Examples from the Web for maudlin

Contemporary Examples of maudlin

Whenever the script seems ready to surrender to maudlin excess, Gosling and McAdams are there to pull it back.
A Love Letter to ‘The Notebook,’ a Melodrama That Commits to Its Sentimentality
Teo Bugbee
June 26, 2014
Also, beyond incompetence, he was meant to be weak, vain and maudlin.
What It Was Like to Watch the Beatles Become the Beatles—Nik Cohn Remembers
Nik Cohn
February 9, 2014
This is a book that cries out like one of his maudlin ditties to be edited.
Hatchet Job of the Year 2014 Shortlist Announced
The Telegraph
January 19, 2014
How can you write about that earlier self without being either patronizing or maudlin?
Marco Roth’s Book Bag: The Anti-Memoir Memoir
Marco Roth
October 1, 2013
That kind of maudlin touch is what we expect … and live for.
Best 2013 Oscar Moments: Red Carpet, Anne Hathaway & More (VIDEO)
Kevin Fallon
February 25, 2013

Historical Examples of maudlin

The world has been degenerating into a maudlin state of sentiment for some years.
Roden's Corner
Henry Seton Merriman
So was he above the maudlin sentiment of the "great lovers of noble histories."
A Son of Hagar
Sir Hall Caine
"And are damned for a croaking, maudlin' craven," added Joseph.
The Tavern Knight
Rafael Sabatini
"Ill-fated, indeed, an all accounts be true," returned Crispin in a maudlin voice.
The Tavern Knight
Rafael Sabatini
He is probably an edifying spectacle by this time, a mush of maudlin penitence.
The Dominant Strain
Anna Chapin Ray

British Dictionary definitions for maudlin

maudlin

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

Word Origin and History for maudlin

adj.

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.