sentimentally
sentimentally — adverb
1. using or showing feelings of affection or tender happiness, especially when reme
using or showing feelings of affection or tender happiness, especially when remembering or thinking about pleasant times in the past
Min smiled sentimentally when she found her old school photos in the attic.
sentimentally + smile (verb of expression)
The old photograph made Andrei speak sentimentally about his childhood summers.
speak sentimentally about [topic]
Devika spoke sentimentally about the postcards her grandmother had sent her.
Ilan handles his grandmother's worn-out recipe book sentimentally and never throws it away.
Anna watched the home video sentimentally while the children played nearby.
- nostalgically
more focused on longing for the past
- fondly
warmer and more affectionate; less reflective
- tenderly
suggests gentleness and care, not necessarily about the past
- dispassionately
without emotional involvement
- matter-of-factly
practical and unemotional
文法句型
sentimentally + verb
sentimentally + adjective
用法筆記
Most often describes actions involving memories, keepsakes, or people from one's past. The tone is warm or bittersweet, not disapproving.
常見錯誤
2. behaving or expressing yourself in an overly emotional way, focusing on feelings
behaving or expressing yourself in an overly emotional way, focusing on feelings such as love or sadness more than is reasonable
The film was ruined by a scene where the hero cries sentimentally for several minutes.
sentimentally + cry (pejorative context)
The singer performed the sad ballad too sentimentally, and the critics hated it.
too sentimentally — adverbial modifier of degree
Hassan rolled his eyes when the advertisement showed people hugging sentimentally.
After her breakup, Lauren wrote sentimentally about love instead of moving forward.
Pim felt the eulogy was written too sentimentally, with details that were not true.
- mawkishly
more strongly negative; suggests sickly, exaggerated emotion
- cloyingly
suggests emotion that is sweet and unpleasant in excess
- over-emotionally
neutral description without the poetic tone of 'mawkish'
- stoically
accepting difficulty without showing emotion
- unsentimentally
practical, without emotional influence
文法句型
too sentimentally + verb
sentimentally + verb
用法筆記
Carries a mildly critical tone: the speaker implies that the emotion shown is too strong or not appropriate for the situation. Common after verbs of performance (sing, act, cry, write).