schmaltz

American  

[shmahlts, shmawlts] / ʃmɑlts, ʃmɔlts /

Also schmalz sometimes shmaltz

noun

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

2. liquid animal fat, especially of a chicken.

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schmaltz British  

/ ʃmɔːlts, ʃmælts /

noun

1. excessive sentimentality, esp in music

2. animal fat used in cooking

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Etymology

Origin of schmaltz

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

Explanation

Schmaltz is way too much sappiness or sentimentality. A movie soundtrack that's dripping with emotion is full of schmaltz. If a piece of music or a work of art goes overboard trying to make you feel sad or nostalgic, it's indulging in schmaltz. Love scenes in movies are too often guilty of schmaltz as well. Since the mid-1930s, the Yiddish word schmaltz has been used this way, although its original meaning is "rendered chicken fat," or "melted fat," first spelled shmalts. It comes from the Old High German smalz, "animal fat."

Example Sentences

Balancing earnest schmaltz with sharp humor, the show works best as a hangout comedy about an extended friend group with dynamite chemistry, with echoes of previous Bill Lawrence shows like “Scrubs” and “Cougar Town.”

From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025

The movie purports to dip into the deep well of Shakespearean magnificence but emerges only with a ladle full of greasy schmaltz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

A mixture of Hallmark-style schmaltz, Biblical-themed supernatural mystery and aeroplane disaster drama.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

My stomach turned at the thought of boiled potatoes, or mashed potatoes, or potato latkes fried in schmaltz.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros