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mawkish

[ maw-kish ]
/ ˈmɔ kɪʃ /
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See synonyms for: mawkish / mawkishness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
characterized by sickly sentimentality; weakly emotional; maudlin.
having a mildly sickening flavor; slightly nauseating.
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Origin of mawkish

1660–70; obsolete mawk maggot (late Middle English <Old Norse mathkr maggot) + -ish1. See maggot

OTHER WORDS FROM mawkish

mawk·ish·ly, adverbmawk·ish·ness, noun

Words nearby mawkish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mawkish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mawkish

mawkish
/ (ˈmɔːkɪʃ) /

adjective
falsely sentimental, esp in a weak or maudlin way
nauseating or insipid in flavour, smell, etc

Derived forms of mawkish

mawkishly, adverbmawkishness, noun

Word Origin for mawkish

C17: from obsolete mawk maggot + -ish
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
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