Mawkish

Mawkish describes something that is excessively sentimental, emotionally sappy, and often sickeningly sweet. It evokes a feeling of cloying sentimentality, a forced display of emotion that feels insincere or overblown. This excessive display can be found in literature, art, or even personal behavior, where it is used to describe a scene or passage where the emotions seem overly dramatic and not genuine. The origin of the word relates to worms (maggots), which are known for creating a sickening feeling. It’s also used to express a strong distaste to something in excess.

Mawkish meaning with examples

• The movie was filled with a Mawkish love scene that made the audience cringe. The dialogue was overly dramatic, the music was overly sentimental, and the actors' expressions were cartoonishly sad. It felt like the filmmakers were trying too hard to manipulate the viewers' emotions, resulting in an unpleasant viewing experience.
• Her poem was considered Mawkish by the literary critic. He found the imagery cloying and the expressions of grief to be insincere, he stated the style was much more of a caricature of grief than genuine emotion. The poem used such excessive and predictable metaphors that it lost all of its impact for the critic.
• He couldn't stand the Mawkish displays of affection between the couple in front of him, especially because they were the only ones in the restaurant. Their constant hand-holding and overly sweet compliments made him want to move to another table. It was more like a public performance of affection than a genuine expression of love.
• After a long and terrible divorce, she had a very Mawkish sense of regret. Despite the negative outcome she had hoped for a positive conclusion. Her recollections of the failed relationship and the resulting emotions she shared with friends sounded forced and insincere.