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mawkish

mawkish

2 9.4
Showing feelings that are not real and too sweet
  • adjective
  • /ˈmɔːkɪʃ/
translation icon : sensiblero
  • The link may be too mawkish for some folks to get through, but the refrain is a sweet lullaby:
  • sentimental and mawkish
  • mawkish movie

And I really don't say that to be mawkish.

Examples

  • His speech was filled with mawkish sentiments that felt forced rather than genuine.

  • I tried watching Bokura ga Ita but found it a little too sappy and mawkish.

    Blog text (22)
  • - Mawkish or not, he's completely devoted.

  • Apparently the judges are rather tempted by that kind of mawkish sentimentality.

  • Instead of a mawkish tale, we are treated to a curious and whimsical meditation on love and living, one that is simultaneously devastating and inspiring.

    Academic text (2012)
  • We may find them mawkish, hypocritical, condescending, and, at the very least, unpersuasive and unrealistic.

    Academic text (1990)
  • It's somewhat anticlimactic to see that the heroic struggle for recognition and exposure recounted by the documentary culminated in the release of Making Love (1982), a mawkish celebration of guess what.

    Academic text (2010)
  • NASA Administrator Admiral Richard Truly continued in this mawkish vein by quoting lengthy musings from novelist James Michener (the only space "authority" he cited).

    Academic text (1992)
  • I was convinced that I was a 'serious novelist,' and I labored long and hard over several unpublished (and unpublishable) novels that moped around the edges of mawkish contemporary tragedy.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The movie's mawkish ending left many viewers rolling their eyes at its exaggerated emotions.

Synonyms

sentimental
vsmawkish
165 4.5

Having strong warm feelings about people or things from the past, often too emotional

is more narrowly about sickly insincere exaggeration rather than simple tender feeling
cheesy
vsmawkish
  • Informal
56 4.6

Feels too sentimental and silly, like a movie or card

is more about sickly exaggerated insincere sentiment rather than merely poor taste
melodramatic
vsmawkish
32 5.6

Showing feelings in a way that is too strong

is more about sickly sentimental exaggeration rather than theatrical dramatic excess
mushy
vsmawkish
  • Informal
27 4.3

Showing too much emotion in a way that seems silly or fake

is more about sickly exaggerated sentiment and insincerity than soft feeling
sappy
vsmawkish
  • Offensive
23 7.0

Too emotional in a way that feels silly or fake

is closer to sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than simple heartfelt feeling
hokey
vsmawkish
  • Informal
23 8.2

Showing fake feeling and too much emotion

focuses more on sickly exaggerated sentiment than on simple artifice or fakery
maudlin
vsmawkish
8 8.0

Too emotional in a way that seems silly or not sincere

leans toward exaggerated sickly sentiment rather than plain excess emotion
kitschy
vsmawkish
8 8.2

Too sentimental or brightly decorated and not in good taste

leans toward sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than merely garish or gaudy style
gushy
vsmawkish
6 7.0

Showing too much emotion in a way that feels silly

is more about sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than spontaneous open feeling
cloying
vsmawkish
3 8.2

Too sweet or emotional in a way that makes you feel sick

is about exaggerated sickly sentiment rather than only rich or sweet tone
overemotional
vsmawkish
3 5.0

Showing too much feeling for the situation

is focused on exaggerated sickly sentiment rather than general excessive emotional display
schmaltzy
vsmawkish
  • Informal
2 8.7

Too emotional in a way that feels false or silly

is more about sickly exaggeration and cloying sweetness than mere excess feeling
drippy
vsmawkish
  • Offensive
1 7.9

Too emotional in a way that feels silly or fake

leans to sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than mild genuine emotion
soppy
vsmawkish
  • UK
1 5.8

Too emotional and sentimental in a way that seems silly

tends to show more sickly exaggeration and cloying insincerity than plain sentiment
treacly
vsmawkish
1 8.1

Too sweet or emotional in a way that feels false

leans toward sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than merely sweet stylistic tone
slushy
vsmawkish
1 5.4

Overly sentimental and emotional in a way that seems false

focuses more on sickly exaggerated feeling than on heartfelt sincere emotion
bathetic
vsmawkish
  • Literature
1 9.9

Too sentimental in a way that feels fake or silly

focuses on sickly exaggerated feeling rather than an attempt to touch feelings
cutesy-wootsy
vsmawkish
  • Informal
1 9.9

Being too cute and childish in a sweet, exaggerated way

is more about sickly exaggerated sentiment than playful childish cuteness
schmalzy
vsmawkish
  • Informal
8.9

Being very emotional in a way that feels fake

leans more toward sickly exaggeration and insincerity than simple sentiment
soupy
vsmawkish
  • Literature
6.8

Being too emotional in a cheap, false way

is more about exaggerated sickly sentiment than about artistic mood or style
gloppy
vsmawkish
  • Informal
8.3

Too sweet and emotional so it feels false

leans toward sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than mere thick sweet tone
goopy
vsmawkish
  • Informal
7.6

Too emotional and sweet in a way that feels fake

is more about exaggerated sickly sentiment rather than ordinary warmth or softness
marshmallowy
vsmawkish
  • Informal
6.3

Too sweet and sentimental in tone or style

leans toward sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than simply gentle or soft tone
overly sugary
vsmawkish
3.7

Having too much sugar in taste or feeling too emotional

focuses on sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than ordinary pleasant sweetness
slobbery
vsmawkish
  • Informal
4.9

Too sentimental and not sincere

leans toward sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than genuine deep feeling
cutesy-poo
vsmawkish
  • Informal
9.4

Too cute in a silly or fake way

leans toward sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than harmless playful cuteness
pappy
vsmawkish
8.6

Too sentimental and weak in feeling, often seeming false

leans toward sickly exaggerated sentiment rather than merely gentle or weak emotion

Antonyms

239 2.5

Being honest and showing what you really feel

11 4.4

Not showing strong feelings

How Sentimental

cloying
3 8.2
saccharine
5 7.9
mawkish
2 9.4
sentimental
165 4.5
touching
1 3.4

Surface Forms

mawkish positive

Morphology

mawkish = mawk (opaque) = mawk + ish

The suffix '-ish' is productive, but the base 'mawk' is rare/archaic and not known to typical learners, so knowing common morphemes does not allow deriving the meaning.

Etymology

Mawkish comes from the old word mawk, which meant 'sick' or 'nauseous'. So mawkish describes something so sentimental it feels 'sick' or fake.