sentimentalize

verb

sen·​ti·​men·​tal·​ize ˌsen-tə-ˈmen-tə-ˌlīz How to pronounce sentimentalize (audio)
sentimentalized; sentimentalizing
Synonyms of sentimentalizenext

intransitive verb

: to indulge in sentiment

transitive verb

: to look upon or imbue with sentiment
sentimentalization
ˌsen-tə-ˌmen-tə-lə-ˈzā-shən How to pronounce sentimentalize (audio)
noun

Examples of sentimentalize in a Sentence

The movie sentimentalizes the past. He does not sentimentalize in his biography.
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.
Is trading in the currency of the past a way to distance himself from a lonesome present? Raffish and boyish at the same time — or switching between either mode as a cover for the other — O’Connor’s deft, droll performance implies such possibilities without sentimentalizing them. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 May 2023 The paltry point of this is to sentimentalize the blue transformation/degradation of the West. — Armond White, National Review, 21 Dec. 2022 The play that has been so keen-eyed about sentimentalizing the industry starts to sentimentalize a little towards the end. — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 10 May 2022 They are edited, softened, brokered, litigated, sentimentalized, and pruned. — Literary Hub, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for sentimentalize

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of sentimentalize was in 1788

Rhymes for sentimentalize

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Browse Nearby Words

sentimentalization
sentimentalize
sentimentally
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Cite this Entry

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

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