Mawkish

Pronunciation: /ˈmɔːkɪʃ/

Definitions of mawkish

adjective having a sentimental or overly emotional quality

Example Sentences

A1 The mawkish movie made me cry.

A2 She found the sentimental love story to be mawkish and unrealistic.

B1 The mawkish speech at the wedding brought tears to everyone's eyes.

B2 The author's attempt at a heartfelt ending came across as mawkish and forced.

C1 The mawkish sentimentality of the novel was criticized by literary critics.

C2 Her mawkish display of emotions seemed insincere to those who knew her well.

Examples of mawkish in a Sentence

formal The mawkish sentimentality of the film was criticized by many reviewers.

informal I can't stand all the mawkish stuff in romantic comedies.

slang That movie was so mawkish, I almost cried.

figurative His mawkish attempts at flattery were transparent to everyone.

Grammatical Forms of mawkish

• past tense: mawkished
• plural: mawkishes
• comparative: more mawkish
• superlative: most mawkish
• present tense: mawkish
• future tense: will mawkish
• perfect tense: have mawkished
• continuous tense: is mawkishing
• singular: mawkish
• positive degree: mawkish
• infinitive: to mawkish
• gerund: mawkishing
• participle: mawkished

Origin and Evolution of mawkish

First Known Use: 1697 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The word 'mawkish' originated from the Middle English word 'mawke', which means maggot or grub. It later evolved to mean sickly or sentimental.

Evolution of the word: Over time, 'mawkish' transitioned from its literal meaning of maggot to its current usage to describe something overly sentimental or insincerely emotional.