- Today's Word
Mawkish
MAW-kish
Definition
(adjective) Overly sentimental or emotional to the point of being unpleasant.
Example
The movie’s mawkish ending drew eye-rolls rather than tears.
Fun Fact
Mawkish originally referred to a nauseating or spoiled taste, stemming from the Middle English mauk, meaning “maggot.” Over time, the meaning shifted from physical disgust to emotional excess. Today, it’s used to describe songs, movies, or writing that lay on the sentiment so thick it turns people off.
(adjective) Unclear, vague, or ill-defined; resembling a cloud or haze.
His plans for the future remained nebulous, more dream than direction.
From Latin nebula, meaning “mist” or “cloud.”