sob sister

American  

noun

1. a journalist who writes human-interest stories with sentimental pathos.

2. a persistently sentimental do-gooder.

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sob sister British  

noun

1. a journalist, esp a woman, on a newspaper or magazine who writes articles of sentimental appeal

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Etymology

Origin of sob sister

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

He could serve as a pet, a provocateur or a sob sister; a servile, wince-inducing stereotype or a sly underminer of various heterosexual norms.

From New York Times • Mar. 11, 2024

I’m not a sob sister, but I do feel true sympathy for other people’s misfortunes.

From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2021

In the hands of a talented sob sister such a weeper could soak an acre of newsprint with readers’ tears.

From Washington Times • Dec. 28, 2015

Curry cried throughout her official announcement and apologized for being a "sob sister this morning."

From Reuters • Jun. 28, 2012

The body of the article Hazel read in what a sob sister would describe as a state of mingled emotions.

From North of Fifty-Three by Fischer, Anton Otto