# sentimental

/ˌsɛnəˈmɛnəɫ/ (US) · /sˌɛntɪmˈɛntəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sentimental
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. emotional or nostalgic

adjective · CEFR B1

connected to feelings of sadness, love, or nostalgia for the past.

For teachers: characterized by or exhibiting tender emotions, often linked to nostalgia or personal history.

- She kept the old ticket stub for sentimental reasons because it was from their first date.
- He kept the rusted bicycle in the garage for purely sentimental reasons, as it was the last gift his grandfather had given him before passing away.

### 2. excessively emotional

adjective · CEFR B2

showing too much emotion in a way that feels silly or weak.

For teachers: excessively or affectedly emotional; often used pejoratively to describe art or stories that rely on cheap emotional appeals.

- The movie was a bit too sentimental for me, with everyone crying at the end.
- Critics dismissed the novel as a sentimental melodrama that failed to address the complex political realities of the era it depicted.

### 3. based on emotion not logic

adjective · CEFR B2

describes a choice or value based on how you feel rather than what is practical.

For teachers: derived from or determined by emotion rather than reason or objective value.

- The house has great sentimental value to the family, even if it needs many repairs.
- While the market price of the heirloom was negligible, its sentimental value to the heirs made the legal dispute over its ownership remarkably bitter.

## Examples

- She kept the old letters for sentimental reasons.
- He bought the vintage watch not for its value, but for sentimental reasons tied to his grandfather.
- The film relies heavily on sentimental tropes, using swelling music and tearful reunions to manipulate the audience's emotions rather than relying on subtle character development.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.