sentimental

American  

[sen-tuh-men-tl] / ˌsɛn təˈmɛn tl /

adjective

1. expressive of or appealing to sentiment, especially the tender emotions and feelings, as love, pity, or nostalgia.

   a sentimental song.

   Synonyms:

   bathetic, maudlin, nostalgic, tender, romantic

   Antonyms:

   dispassionate

2. pertaining to or dependent on sentiment.

   We kept the old photograph for purely sentimental reasons.

3. weakly emotional; mawkishly susceptible or tender.

   the sentimental Victorians.

4. characterized by or showing sentiment or refined feeling.

   Antonyms:

   dispassionate

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sentimental British  

/ ˌsɛntɪˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. tending to indulge the emotions excessively

2. making a direct appeal to the emotions, esp to romantic feelings

3. relating to or characterized by sentiment

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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

Derived Forms

• supersentimentally
  adverb
• quasi-sentimentally
  adverb
• antisentimentally
  adverb
• sentimentally
  adverb
• oversentimentally
  adverb
• supersentimental
  adjective
• unsentimental
  adjective
• intersentimental
  adjective
• semisentimentally
  adverb
• hypersentimentally
  adverb
• quasi-sentimental
  adjective
• hypersentimental
  adjective
• antisentimental
  adjective
• semisentimental
  adjective
• unsentimentally
  adverb
• oversentimental
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sentimental

First recorded in 1740–50; sentiment + -al ¹

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.

Example Sentences

We are incurably two things in America, friendly and sentimental.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

The bottom of the pickle jar feels oddly sentimental.

From Salon • May 28, 2026

McCartney has always been known as the sentimental Beatle.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

To begin with, there’s its ingratiating style, leisurely but leavened with wit and chutzpah, as well as Fiedler’s pervasive disdain for the sentimental and ersatz.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

“I had to wear them so I could come here. Apparently the school was feeling sentimental enough to let me back, but not sentimental enough to risk a lawsuit.”

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

Related Words

• affectionate
• corny
• dreamy
• idealistic
• maudlin
• mushy
• nostalgic
• passionate
• saccharine
• sappy
• silly
• sweet
• tender
• touching
• weepy