mawkishness

IPA/ˈmɔːkɪʃnəs/
IPA/ˈmɔːkɪʃnəs/

mawkishness — noun

1. behaviour, writing, or speech that tries too hard to express tender feelings, wi

1.名詞C1
釋義

behaviour, writing, or speech that tries too hard to express tender feelings, with a result that feels false, silly, or awkward rather than genuinely emotional

例句

Sayaka rolled her eyes at the mawkishness of the card her uncle sent.

The film's final scene was criticized for its mawkishness by most reviewers.

passive: was criticized for its mawkishness

同義詞
  • sentimentality

    more neutral in tone; can describe genuine warm feelings, unlike mawkishness which is always critical

  • corniness

    informal; focuses on being silly or dated rather than emotionally dishonest

  • bathos

    formal literary term for an abrupt drop from serious to trivial, not the same as sustained over-sentiment

反義詞
  • restraint

    controlled and understated emotional expression, opposite of exaggerated sentiment

  • sincerity

    genuine feeling that comes across as authentic rather than performed

文法句型

full of mawkishness

criticized for its mawkishness

the mawkishness of + noun

用法筆記

Uncountable noun. Frequently found in critical contexts such as film reviews and literary criticism, where the writer describes sentimental material that they find unconvincing or embarrassing. Common patterns include 'criticized for its mawkishness', 'full of mawkishness', and 'the mawkishness of [something]'.

常見錯誤

❌The funeral was full of mawkishness.
✅The funeral was full of sadness.
💡Mawkishness implies false or exaggerated emotion, not genuine grief. Use it for criticism of overdone sentiment, not for real sadness.