sappy
Americanadjective
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abounding in sap, as a plant.
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full of vitality and energy.
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Slang. silly or foolish.
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Slang. overly sentimental.
It’s one of those sappy romantic ballads.
adjective
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(of plants) full of sap
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full of energy or vitality
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slang silly or fatuous
Other Word Forms
- sappily adverb
- sappiness noun
Etymology
Origin of sappy
First recorded before 1100; Middle English sapy, Old English sæpig; see sap 1, -y 1
Explanation
Something sappy lacks substance. It's silly, foolish, and overly sentimental. Have you ever heard someone refer to a sappy song? That's not a compliment, because anything sappy is considered cheesy, saccharine, clichéd, ludicrous, or goofy. Serious or excellent art would never be called sappy. Greeting cards are often sappy, as is someone saying "I wuv you" to his dog. In the 1550s, sappy meant "full of vitality," but by the end of the 1600s its meaning changed to "foolishly sentimental," possibly influenced by the stickiness of sap.
Vocabulary lists containing sappy
Sickly Sweet Treats: Sappy and Insincere Valentine Words
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Fast Pitch
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Words to Describe a Movie
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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.
Silly but not sappy, “Project Hail Mary” doesn’t gin up much suspense over whether anything bad will happen.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
But don’t expect any sappy scenes in public.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025
People are swooning over sappy K-dramas from Dubai to India to Singapore.
From BBC • Dec. 28, 2024
Henry is an avid reader, but that doesn't mean he'll be caught picking up a YA book or a sappy romance.
From Salon • Aug. 19, 2023
“Just to hide the booklet. You can bring it back later,” Miss Dewey had said of the sappy friendship book.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
