sen ‧ ti ‧ ment ‧ al /ˌsentəˈmentl◂, ˌsentɪˈmentl◂/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . someone who is sentimental is easily affected by emotions such as love, sympathy, sadness etc, often in a way that seems silly to other people:
She said a sentimental goodbye.
sentimental about
People can be very sentimental about animals.
2 . based on or relating to your feelings rather than on practical reasons:
He wasn’t the sort of person who kept things for sentimental reasons.
a sentimental journey to the place of his birth
The rings that were stolen were of great sentimental value (=important because of your feelings or memories relating to them) .
3 . a story, film, book etc that is sentimental deals with emotions such as love and sadness, sometimes in a way that seems silly and insincere:
a sentimental story set in Russia
—sentimentally adverb
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THESAURUS
■ causing strong feelings
▪ emotional causing people to have strong feelings – used especially about experiences, speeches, or subjects that people have strong feelings about:
Returning home after a year in hospital was an emotional experience for Katy.
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He gave an emotional speech at the funeral.
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It was a very emotional moment.
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Abortion rights is a highly emotional issue.
▪ emotive used about issues or language that make people have strong feelings:
Fox hunting is a very emotive issue in Britain.
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‘Indoctrination’ is rather an emotive word.
▪ moving making you feel strong feelings of sadness or sympathy:
Kelly’s book about her illness is deeply moving.
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a moving film
▪ touching making you feel slightly emotional – used especially when someone does something that shows how much they care about another person:
Your loyalty is very touching.
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My son phoned me to wish me good luck, which was a touching gesture.
▪ poignant making you feel strong feelings of sadness or pity, especially when you remember something in the past:
Her youthful expression is a poignant reminder of the passing of time.
▪ sentimental ( also schmaltzy ) informal dealing with emotions such as love and sadness in a way that seems silly:
He found the film too sentimental.
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a schmaltzy comedy