Sentimental Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

Britannica Dictionary definition of SENTIMENTAL

[more sentimental; most sentimental]

1

:

based on, showing, or resulting from feelings or emotions rather than reason or thought

• He has a sentimental attachment to his old high school.
• She saved her wedding gown for sentimental reasons.
• He has sentimental ideas about the past.

◊ A sentimental journey is a visit to a place that was once very familiar and that brings back memories of the past.

• They took a sentimental journey to England, the country where they had met.

◊ Something that has sentimental value is important to someone because of its connection with a happy time of life, a special person, etc.

• I keep this picture because it has sentimental value for me.

2

a

:

appealing to the emotions especially in an excessive way

• a sentimental melodrama

b

:

having or expressing strong feelings of love, sadness, etc., in a way that may seem foolish or excessive

• a sentimental person
• I tend to get very sentimental when I think about my childhood.