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mawkish

American  
[maw-kish] / ˈmɔ kɪʃ /

adjective

  1. characterized by sickly sentimentality; weakly emotional; maudlin.

    Synonyms:
    teary, sentimental

  2. having a mildly sickening flavor; slightly nauseating.

mawkish British  
/ ˈmɔːkɪʃ /

adjective

  1. falsely sentimental, esp in a weak or maudlin way

  2. nauseating or insipid in flavour, smell, etc

"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

Other Word Forms

  • mawkishly adverb
  • mawkishness noun

Etymology

Origin of mawkish

1660–70; obsolete mawk maggot ( late Middle English < Old Norse mathkr maggot) + -ish 1. See maggot

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.