schmaltz

Also schmalz
Sometimes shmaltz

[shmahlts, shmawlts]

noun

1. Informal.,  exaggerated sentimentalism, as in music or soap operas.

2. liquid animal fat, especially of a chicken.

schmaltz

/ ʃmɔːlts, ʃmælts /

noun

1. excessive sentimentality, esp in music

2. animal fat used in cooking

Word History and Origins

Origin of schmaltz¹

First recorded in 1930–35; from Yiddish shmalts or German Schmalz; cognate with smelt ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of schmaltz¹

C20: from German ( Schmalz ) and Yiddish: melted fat, from Old High German smalz

Example Sentences

The cookbook offers helpful guides to the different varieties of herring—from New Catch to schmaltz—smoked salmon and specialty fish such as sturgeon and sable and caviar.

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Her performance is just one of many surprises that highlight the show’s ability to flaunt its cleverness without smothering it in celebrity schmaltz.

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Doerr, meanwhile, creates a tender kind of suspense, alive and surprising and hopeful without careening into schmaltz.

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The horror factor, however, takes a back seat when Ally and Jay share comically gratuitous moments of rom-com schmaltz.

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Debates about “Love Actually” are mainly about the quality of its schmaltz.

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