Definition
Strongly influenced by feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia, sometimes in a way that seems exaggerated or overly emotional. It often involves attaching emotional value to objects, places, or memories.
Etymology
From French 'sentimental', from 'sentiment' (feeling, emotion), ultimately from Latin 'sentire' meaning 'to feel'. The word grew popular in the 18th century with a fashion for emotional novels and plays.
Kelly Says
Calling something 'sentimental' can be slightly critical, as if the emotions are turned up too high for the situation. Yet almost everyone has sentimental objects—like an old ticket or toy—that are worthless on paper but priceless to them emotionally.
Translations
AFAfrikaans
sentimenteel
sen-ti-men-teel
BGБългарски
сентиментален
sen-ti-men-ta-len
BNবাংলা
ভাবপ্রবণ
bhab-pro-bon
CACatalà
sentimental
sen-ti-men-TAL
CSČeština
sentimentální
sen-ti-men-taal-ni
DADansk
sentimental
sen-ti-men-TAL
DEDeutsch
sentimental
zen-ti-men-TAL
ELΕλληνικά
συναισθηματικός
si-nes-thi-ma-ti-kos
ESEspañol
sentimental
sen-ti-men-TAL
ETEesti
sentimentaalne
sen-ti-men-taal-ne
EUEuskara
sentimentala
sen-ti-men-ta-la
FAفارسی
احساساتی
eh-sa-saati
FISuomi
sentimentaalinen
sen-ti-men-taa-li-nen
FRFrançais
sentimental
san-tee-men-TAL
GLGalego
sentimental
sen-ti-men-TAL
HRHrvatski
sentimentalan
sen-ti-men-ta-lan
HUMagyar
szentimentális
sen-ti-men-taa-lish
IDBahasa Indonesia
sentimental
sen-ti-men-tal
ITItaliano
sentimentale
sen-ti-men-TA-le
JA日本語
感傷的な
kanshō-teki na
KO한국어
감상적인
gam-sang-jeok-in
LTLietuvių
sentimentalus
sen-ti-men-ta-lus
LVLatviešu
sentimentāls
sen-ti-men-taals
MNМонгол
сэтгэл хөдлөм
setgel khodlom
MSBahasa Melayu
sentimental
sen-ti-men-tal
MYမြန်မာ
ခံစားချက်များသော
khan-sa-chyet-mya-thaw
NLNederlands
sentimenteel
sen-ti-men-TEL
NONorsk
sentimental
sen-ti-men-TAL
PLPolski
sentimentalny
sen-ti-men-TAL-ny
PTPortuguês
sentimental
sen-ti-men-TAL
RORomână
sentimental
sen-ti-men-TAL
RUРусский
сентиментальный
sen-ti-men-tal-nyy
SKSlovenčina
sentimentálny
sen-ti-men-taal-ny
SLSlovenščina
čustven
chus-tven
SRСрпски
сентименталан
sen-ti-men-ta-lan
SVSvenska
sentimental
sen-ti-men-TAL
SWKiswahili
wa hisia
wa hi-si-a
TAதமிழ்
உணர்ச்சிவயப்பட்ட
u-nar-chi-va-yap-patta
TEతెలుగు
భావోద్వేగ
bhaa-vo-dve-ga
THไทย
sentimental
sen-ti-men-tal
TRTürkçe
duygusal
duy-gu-sal
UKУкраїнська
сентиментальний
sen-ti-men-tal-nyy
VITiếng Việt
đa cảm
da cam
ZH中文
多愁善感的
duō chóu shàn gǎn de
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
'Sentimental' has often been used pejoratively for women, queer people, and feminized genres (like romance or domestic fiction), implying excessive or trivial emotion. This helped devalue cultural forms and political claims associated with them.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'sentimental' descriptively and consistently across genders, and avoid using it as a shorthand to trivialize people or genres associated with women.
Inclusive Alternatives
["emotionally focused","nostalgic","romantic","emotionally expressive"]
Empowerment Note
When discussing 'sentimental' traditions in literature, music, or film, acknowledge the craft and innovation of women and other marginalized creators whose work has been dismissed as overly emotional.