- the state or quality of being sentimental
- an act, statement, etc, that is sentimental
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
sen•ti•men•tal•ism
(sen′tə men′tl iz′əm),USA pronunciation n.
- sentimental tendency or character;
predominance of sentiment over reason. - weak emotionalism;
excessive indulgence in sentiment. - a display of sentimentality.
- sentimental + -ism 1810–20
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
sentimentalism /ˌsɛntɪˈmɛntəˌlɪzəm/ n
sen•ti•men•tal /ˌsɛntəˈmɛntəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
sen•ti•men•tal•ist, n. [countable]
sen•ti•men•tal•i•ty /ˌsɛntəmɛnˈtælɪti/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
sen•ti•men•tal•ly, adv.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- of or relating to the tender emotions, esp. excessively:sentimental dreams of love and marriage.
- embarrassingly emotional:Let's not get too sentimental about our relationship.
- nostalgic:a sentimental journey to one's old hometown.
sen•ti•men•tal•ist, n. [countable]
sen•ti•men•tal•i•ty /ˌsɛntəmɛnˈtælɪti/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
sen•ti•men•tal•ly, adv.
sen•ti•men•tal
(sen′tə men′tl),USA pronunciation adj.
sen′ti•men′tal•ly, adv.
- expressive of or appealing to sentiment, esp. the tender emotions and feelings, as love, pity, or nostalgia:a sentimental song.
- pertaining to or dependent on sentiment:We kept the old photograph for purely sentimental reasons.
- weakly emotional;
mawkishly susceptible or tender:the sentimental Victorians. - characterized by or showing sentiment or refined feeling.
- sentiment + -al1 1740–50
- 1. romantic, tender, nostalgic; maudlin, bathetic.
- 1. 4. dispassionate.
'sentimentalism' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):