Music Review Vocabulary

verb to disgust or sicken someone with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment

• The sweetness of the dessert did not cloy the palate of the distinguished guests.
• I love chocolate, but too much of it can cloy my taste buds.
• Eating too much candy can really cloy your sweet tooth.
• The constant praise began to cloy on her, making her doubt its sincerity.

adjective having a sentimental or overly emotional quality

• The mawkish sentimentality of the film was criticized by many reviewers.
• I can't stand all the mawkish stuff in romantic comedies.
• That movie was so mawkish, I almost cried.
• His mawkish attempts at flattery were transparent to everyone.

adjective of only moderate quality; not very good

• The quality of the product was mediocre, falling short of our expectations.
• The movie we watched last night was pretty mediocre, nothing special.
• I tried out that new restaurant everyone's been talking about, but honestly, it was just mediocre.
• Her performance in the play was mediocre at best, lacking the passion and energy we were hoping for.

adjective not feeling or showing any creativity or imagination; lacking in inspiration

• The artist's latest work was criticized for being uninspired and lacking originality.
• I was feeling uninspired today so I didn't get much work done.
• I'm feeling so uninspired, I just want to binge-watch Netflix all day.
• Her speech was uninspired, lacking the passion and energy we were expecting.

adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb by providing more information about how, when, where, or to what extent something is done

• The novel's ending was affectingly poignant, leaving a lasting impact on the readers.
• The movie's emotional scenes were affectingly beautiful, making everyone tear up.
• The song lyrics were so affectingly relatable, it hit me right in the feels.
• Her artwork was affectingly vibrant, capturing the essence of human emotions.