sentimental

adjective

sen·​ti·​men·​tal ˌsen-tə-ˈmen-tᵊl How to pronounce sentimental (audio)
1
a
: marked or governed by feeling, sensibility, or emotional idealism
b
: resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought
a sentimental attachment
a sentimental favorite
2
: having an excess of sentiment or sensibility
sentimentally adverb

Examples of sentimental in a Sentence

He has a sentimental attachment to his old high school. She saved her wedding gown for sentimental reasons. He has sentimental ideas about the past. I tend to get very sentimental when I think about my childhood.
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.
On Monday, May 26, the celebrity chef, 65, shared a sentimental throwback picture of her late ex-husband, Eddie Van Halen, and her late mother, Nancy Bertinelli. Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 26 May 2025 In Amrum, Fatih Akin stages a sentimental conversation between himself and his mentor, the German director Hark Bohm. Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2025 Missing from the program, some felt, was an exercise in sentimental Francophilia – a Man and a Woman from a Claude Lelouch or an Umbrellas of Cherbourg from a Jacques Demy. Peter Bart, Deadline, 22 May 2025 In a sentimental touch, the song was dedicated to the Furs’ late saxophonist Mars Williams. Julius Miller, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for sentimental

Word History

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sentimental was in 1741

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Cite this Entry

“Sentimental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentimental. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

sentimental

adjective
sen·​ti·​men·​tal ˌsent-ə-ˈment-ᵊl How to pronounce sentimental (audio)
1
a
: marked by feeling or sentiment
b
: resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought
2
: having an excess of sentiment or sensibility
sentimentally
-ᵊl-ē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on sentimental

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