sentimental definition - Dictionary

Dictionary

sen·ti·men·tal [ sèntə mént'l ]

adjective

Definition:

1. mawkish in feeling: affected acutely by emotional matters, often to the point of mawkishness

2. mawkish in expression: displaying too much uncontrolled or self-indulgent emotion

3. appealing to tender feelings: experiencing, appealing to, or expressing tender, often romantic or nostalgic, feelings

a sentimental portrait of our town

4. expressing deep feeling: expressing deep, refined feeling ( formal )

sen·ti·men·tal·ly adverb

Cultural Note


	A Sentimental Journey, a novel (1768) by British writer Laurence Sterne. Sterne's second and last novel was intended as a riposte to Tobias Smollett's ill-tempered Travels Through France and Italy (1766) and even features a Smollett-like curmudgeon called Smellfungus. A rambling account of a trip through France from Calais to Lyons, it is transformed into an engaging work of art by the author's wit, sensitivity, and sharp social observation. Not surprisingly, the word smellfungus came to mean a carping faultfinder in general parlance.