ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˈment ə lˌīz verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: sentimental (I) + -ize
intransitive verb
: to indulge in sentiment : romanticize
it's a waste of breath to go back over the past and sentimentalize — Agatha Christie
analyzed lust in its crudest form … and grieved without sentimentalizing over it — Monica Stirling
transitive verb
: to look upon or imbue (as a person or thing) with sentiment : romanticize
denounced as a sentimentalized Christianity that religious attitude which prefers slavery to war — Current Biography
the mistake of sentimentalizing the politician as a poor abused fellow — John Lodge
the most insidious vices are those that began as virtues, and have been sentimentalized long after they became ugly — Katharine F. Gerould