sappy

adjective

sap·​py ˈsa-pē How to pronounce sappy (audio)
sappier; sappiest
Synonyms of sappy
1
: abounding with sap
2
: resembling or consisting largely of sapwood
3
a
: overly sweet or sentimental
b
: lacking in good sense : silly

Synonyms of sappy

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of sappy in a Sentence

She gets all sappy when she is around babies. a sappy letter filled with silly romantic clichés
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Not too serious or sappy, but with room for both earnestness and whimsy. — New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026 What’s the sappy, milky stuff that comes out of specific leaves in Florida that would be on the characters’ skin? — Emma Specter, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026 Maple Trees Maple trees are just as sappy as birch trees, so pruning them when the sap is running can be a messy situation. — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026 The announcement may come as a shock for country fans who have followed the couple through their sappy podcast appearances and gushy acceptance speeches. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for sappy

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sappy was before the 12th century

Rhymes for sappy

See All Rhymes for sappy

Browse Nearby Words

Sapporo
sappy
sappy spot
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sappy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sappy. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

sappy

adjective
sap·​py ˈsap-ē How to pronounce sappy (audio)
sappier; sappiest
1
: full of sap
2
a
: foolishly sentimental
b
: foolish, silly
sappiness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All