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to sentimentalize

to sentimentalize

2 6.9
Make something seem more emotional or romantic than it really is
  • verb
  • /ˌsɛntɪˈmɛntəlaɪz/
translation icon : sentimentalizar
  • It's easy to sentimentalize the mind of a child.

Examples

  • He's your baby, so, okay, but don't try to sentimentalize him to me.

  • And unfortunately, we sentimentalize that, right?

  • Is he merely sentimentalizing their nascent affair?

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The opera lavishly sentimentalizes unrequited love, with which almost everyone can identify.

    Academic text (1991)
  • "We cannot Americanize America worthily by sentimentalizing and moralizing history," he wrote.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Don't sentimentalize them, Kara.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Many stories sentimentalize the struggles of the past, making them seem more romantic than they truly were.

  • The film tends to sentimentalize the main character's hardships, portraying them with an exaggerated emotional lens.

  • Critics argue that the documentary sentimentalizes the issue, presenting it in a way that feels overly romanticized.

Synonyms

to romanticize
vsto sentimentalize
  • US
23 6.7

Make something seem more attractive and ideal than it really is

adds an emotional tone that stresses feeling rather than ideal attractiveness
to glamorize
vsto sentimentalize
  • US
12 5.8

To make someone or something look more attractive and exciting than they really are

stresses emotional depth and feeling rather than surface attractiveness
to romance
vsto sentimentalize
3 6.9

To make something seem more exciting or attractive than it really is

adds personal emotional warmth and feeling rather than mere excitement or appeal
to glamourize
vsto sentimentalize
  • UK
1 6.3

Make something seem more attractive than it really is

focuses on emotional feeling rather than surface style or shine
to hoke
vsto sentimentalize
  • Informal
9.9

To make something seem more sentimental or fake than it really is

treats things with strong emotion rather than obvious artificial exaggeration
to sentimentize
vsto sentimentalize
9.4

Show or talk about feelings in a way that is too emotional

portrays things in an overly emotional way rather than showing personal feelings
to emotionalize
vsto sentimentalize
6.7

To make something express strong feelings to affect people

applies a softer, romantic emotional tone rather than general strong feeling

How Sentimental

to sentimentalize
2 6.9
to romanticize
  • US
23 6.7
to idealize
14 5.8

Surface Forms

sentimentalize infinitive
sentimentalized past participle
sentimentalizing present participle
sentimentalizes third person singular

Morphology

sentimentalize = sentimental (transparent) = sentiment + al + ize

A direct verb-forming suffix '-ize' applied to the adjective 'sentimental', meaning 'to make or treat as sentimental'.

Etymology

Sentimentalize comes from sentiment ('feeling') and the ending -ize ('to make'). So to sentimentalize something is to 'make' it full of feeling, often making it more emotional or romantic than it really is.