Synonyms

schmaltzy

American

[shmahlt-see, shmawlt-] / ˈʃmɑlt si, ˈʃmɔlt- /

Sometimes shmaltzy also schmalzy

adjective

Informal.

schmaltzier, schmaltziest

of, relating to, or characterized by schmaltz, or exaggerated sentimentalism.

schmaltzy British

/ ʃmɔːltsɪ, ʃmæltsɪ /

adjective

excessively sentimental

"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

Etymology

Origin of schmaltzy

First recorded in 1930–35; schmaltz + -y ¹

Vocabulary lists containing schmaltzy

"Men Are Becoming the Ad Target of the Gender Sneer" and "Guys and Dolls No More?"

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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.

Mixing American history with wild fabulation, and parental grief with Buddhist spirituality, the book’s weirdness and originality helped smuggle through its schmaltzy moralizing about selflessness and empathy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

And look, maybe I’m schmaltzy, but I did sort of love the last line she tacked on in her epilogue: “The woman realized, she was not alone — she was on her own.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2025

It's certainly hard to imagine them really catching on in the early 50s, an age dominated by schmaltzy crooners, folk purists and show tunes.

From BBC • Aug. 2, 2024

“Harry must have longed for the schmaltzy embrace of Oprah!” was the front page of the Daily Mail, a reference to the couple’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

From Reuters • Jun. 7, 2023

Awfully schmaltzy, I know, but it felt right to us then, because we had so much hope—and that was all we had.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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