sentimental
Americanadjective
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expressive of or appealing to sentiment, especially the tender emotions and feelings, as love, pity, or nostalgia.
a sentimental song.
- Antonyms:
- dispassionate
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pertaining to or dependent on sentiment.
We kept the old photograph for purely sentimental reasons.
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weakly emotional; mawkishly susceptible or tender.
the sentimental Victorians.
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characterized by or showing sentiment or refined feeling.
- Antonyms:
- dispassionate
adjective
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tending to indulge the emotions excessively
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making a direct appeal to the emotions, esp to romantic feelings
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relating to or characterized by sentiment
Usage
What does sentimental mean? Sentimental means expressing, appealing to, or being moved by sensitive or tender emotions, such as love, nostalgia, or pity. The state or quality of being sentimental is sentimentality. Sentimental, sentimentality, and other related words (like sentimentalism, which can be used as a synonym of sentimentality) are based on the sense of the word sentiment that refers to sensitive or tender emotions, sensitivity to such emotions, or appeal to such emotions. Such terms are especially used to imply that these emotions are exaggerated or overindulged. Sometimes, they imply that these emotions get in the way of thinking logically or being realistic. People are sometimes criticized for being overly sentimental, as in Stop being so sentimental and looking at things through rose-colored glasses, instead of seeing what they’re really like. These kinds of criticisms are especially common in the context of art. For example, a book or film may be criticized as being overly sentimental in dealing with a historical event. This implies that it portrays the event in an idealized, simplistic, or nostalgic way instead of depicting it accurately and dealing with what really happened. Such works might also be described as melodramatic. When they’re tearfully or weakly emotional, they might be described as maudlin, mawkish, sappy, or weepy. Hallmark holiday movies are known for being sentimental. Things that are kept due to being associated with fond memories or loved ones are said to have sentimental value. Example: He’s so sentimental that he keeps all of his childhood toys.
Other Word Forms
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antisentimentaladjective
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hypersentimentaladjective
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intersentimentaladjective
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oversentimentaladjective
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quasi-sentimentaladjective
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semisentimentaladjective
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supersentimentaladjective
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unsentimentaladjective
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antisentimentallyadverb
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hypersentimentallyadverb
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oversentimentallyadverb
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quasi-sentimentallyadverb
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semisentimentallyadverb
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sentimentallyadverb
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supersentimentallyadverb
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unsentimentallyadverb
Etymology
Origin of sentimental
Explanation
Call a person sentimental if he or she is led more by emotions than by reason. If you have a sentimental attachment to a favorite stuffed animal, you'll probably even bring it to college with you. Sentimental describes a person who relies on emotions more than reason, or a novel or film that is overly emotional. Derived from the Latin verb, sentire "to feel," sentimental always implies that the emotions are involved a little too much. If you do something for sentimental reasons, you are only doing it because of an emotional attachment.
Vocabulary lists containing sentimental
Sickly Sweet Treats: Sappy and Insincere Valentine Words
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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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.
The sisters’ opposition to the demolition isn’t merely sentimental or mnemonic—a matter of remembrance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The property also holds plenty of sentimental value for the pair.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Paul's bike as well as several sentimental items including an irreplaceable ring from Kate's grandmother were stolen in the burglary on 28 August.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Its bare bones prose and electrifying pictures preserve, honor and celebrate the people, places and ideas responsible for Rosales’ sentimental education.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Was he really that much of a sentimental fool?
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
