mawkish

/ˈmɔːkɪʃ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmɔːkɪʃ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmȯ-kish/ (ame, mw)

mawkish — adjective

  • mawkishpositive
  • more mawkishcomparative
  • most mawkishsuperlative

1. showing emotion, love, or kindness in a way that feels exaggerated, awkward, or

1.形容詞C1
釋義

showing emotion, love, or kindness in a way that feels exaggerated, awkward, or uncomfortable for other people to watch — for example, a farewell speech that is too long and tearful, or a film scene that tries too hard to make the audience cry.

例句

The film's mawkish ending made the audience groan instead of cry.

mawkish + noun (ending)

Critics said the wedding speech was mawkish and full of cheap emotion.

be + mawkish (after linking verb)

同義詞
  • sentimental

    neutral or positive; mawkish is always negative — 'sentimental' can be sincere

  • maudlin

    more specifically about self-pity and drunken emotion; mawkish is broader

  • cloying

    focuses on sweetness that becomes unpleasant; mawkish is more about awkward emotional display

反義詞

文法句型

mawkish + noun

be + mawkish

用法筆記

Commonly used in literary or critical contexts to describe films, books, speeches, or other creative works. Often paired with negative constructions (e.g. 'without being mawkish', 'avoid the mawkish').

常見錯誤

❌The sad story was very mawkish and I cried a lot.
✅The sad story was so mawkish that I felt embarrassed for the writer.
💡'mawkish' carries negative judgement; it does not mean simply 'very sad' or 'touching'.