sentimentalism

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noun

A liking for sentimental things.

OriginEnglish sentimental ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? ← Old French sentement →
RareScrabble 18
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Meanings

nounsentimentalism (countable and uncountable, plural sentimentalisms)

plural sentimentalisms

  1. countableuncountableA liking for sentimental things.
  2. countableuncountableAn overly sentimental thing or condition; bathos or sentimentality.
  3. countableuncountablehuman sciencesA view according to which morality is somehow grounded in moral sentiments or emotions.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sent-
  2. Proto-Italic*sentiō
  3. Latinsentiō
  4. Latinsentimentum
  5. Old Frenchsentement
  6. Englishsentiment
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  9. Englishsentimental
  10. Englishsentimentalism

From sentimental + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch zoetigheid
  • zoetigheidoverly sentimental condition
Portuguese sentimentalismo
  • sentimentalismooverly sentimental condition
Turkish santimantalizm
  • santimantalizmoverly sentimental condition
Cite this entry
APA

sentimentalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sentimentalism

MLA

“sentimentalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sentimentalism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sentimentalism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sentimentalism.

Source: sentimentalism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.