sentiment
Americannoun
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sentiments
plural
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a mental feeling; emotion.
a sentiment of pity.
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refined or tender emotion; manifestation of the higher or more refined feelings.
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exhibition or manifestation of feeling or sensibility, or appeal to the tender emotions, in literature, art, or music.
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a thought influenced by or proceeding from feeling or emotion.
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the thought or feeling intended to be conveyed by words, acts, or gestures as distinguished from the words, acts, or gestures themselves.
noun
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susceptibility to tender, delicate, or romantic emotion
she has too much sentiment to be successful
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(often plural) a thought, opinion, or attitude
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exaggerated, overindulged, or mawkish feeling or emotion
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an expression of response to deep feeling, esp in art or literature
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a feeling, emotion, or awareness
a sentiment of pity
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a mental attitude modified or determined by feeling
there is a strong revolutionary sentiment in his country
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a feeling conveyed, or intended to be conveyed, in words
Usage
What are other ways to say sentiment?
A sentiment is a mental feeling or tender emotion, or a thought proceeding from feeling or emotion. How is it different from feeling, emotion, and passion? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Synonym Usage
See opinion. Sentiment, sentimentality are terms for sensitiveness to emotional feelings. Sentiment is a sincere and refined sensibility, a tendency to be influenced by emotion rather than reason or fact: to appeal to sentiment. Sentimentality implies affected, excessive, sometimes mawkish sentiment: weak sentimentality.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sentiment
First recorded in 1325–75; from Medieval Latin sentīmentum, equivalent to Latin sentī(re) “to feel” + -mentum -ment; replacing Middle English sentement, from Old French, from Medieval Latin, as above
Explanation
Your opinion that most comedies are terrible and that you'd rather watch any other kind of movie could be described as your sentiment, or your attitude, about films. Sentiment means a view or opinion, but it can also mean an emotion. Maybe you prefer tragic movies because you enjoy the sentiment of sadness. This meaning of sentiment is taken to an extreme in yet another version of the word, meaning something like "overdone, exaggerated feelings, especially of sadness or nostalgia." An overly soppy tragedy is a good example of this kind of sentiment; it's the kind of film that might make you cringe instead of cry.
Vocabulary lists containing sentiment
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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English Words Derived from French, List 1
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Common Senses: Sent, Sens ("Feel")
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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.
See Examples For:
Attention will turn to results from large U.S. retailers this week, which will indicate the impact of recent turbulence on U.S. consumer sentiment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
These worrying landmarks reinforce a market perception that fixed-income investments are losing bets, a sentiment Hartnett summarizes as “Anything But Bonds.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
But he was barred after he became a magnet for anti-war sentiment, with images of long lines of his supporters published around the world.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Major said, summing up the sentiment he heard from clients.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
He’s equally capable of either sentiment, an arrogant and deeply suspicious man.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
He reiterated similar sentiments in congressional hearings before the House Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
His sentiments were echoed by Rachid Aouchari, a 32-year-old without work, who said he would be relieved to return home.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
The slowdown from the last quarter was likely because of disturbance to sentiments from international geopolitical issues, Citi analysts said in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Is it any surprise that Musk, of all people, is a fan of those sentiments?
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
Pomp, sensible of our friend’s more delicate sentiments, rushed to soothe: “No, not on Christmas Eve, Slant. No wise.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
