mawkish
adjective
characterized by sickly sentimentality; weakly emotional; maudlin.
mawkishness
-
a word derived from
mawkish.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Where Waititi once brought an authentic ache to his bittersweet sagas of wayward souls, he’s resorted to sledgehammer mawkishness that’s meant to be offset by his droll humor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
But the death of a child, generally treated with mawkishness, is handled here with riveting creepiness — not to mention a hint of bad taste.
From New York Times ● Jan. 3, 2020
The Alcott verses, with their references to “Christmas fairies” and “chanting cherubs,” supply most of the mawkishness.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 28, 2017
But where the execution of those storylines has garnered some criticism for moments of mawkishness or overwrought dialogue, it’s more successful in its honest depiction of cancer—or, at least, one specific cancer story.
From Time ● Nov. 10, 2015
All his writings, including his delightful letters as well as his poetry, are remarkably free from mawkishness and mere sentimentality.
From The English Church in the Eighteenth Century by Charles J. (Charles John) Abbey
