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DictionarymawkishExcessive sentimentality
adjective

mawkish

MAW-kish/ˈmɔːkɪʃ/

Sentimental in an excessive or sickly way.

The mawkish stage scene makes the theatergoer wince at its excessive sentiment.

A theatergoer watches an excessively sugary sentimental scene: actor clasps a heart-shaped cushion while another dramatically dabs tears amid lavish flowers; audience member winces at the overdone sentiment.
Etymology
mawkMiddle Englishmaggot
+ishEnglishhaving the quality of

Built on a word for “maggot,” mawkish first meant “sickly, nauseated.” That physical sickness became a figurative judgment on sentiment so excessive or insipid that it seems sickening.

More examples

  • She wants a heartfelt birthday card, not a mawkish one.
  • The song turns mawkish when a children's choir joins the tearful singer.
  • His farewell speech is warm without being mawkish.

Forms

mawkish

mawkishness noun — The quality of being excessively sentimental.

mawkishly adverb — In an excessively or sickly sentimental way.

Similar words

maudlin
Emphasizes tearful, self-pitying sentiment, sometimes associated with drunkenness.
cloying
Emphasizes sweetness or sentiment that becomes unpleasant through excess.