sentimentalist

/,senti'mentəlist/
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sentimentalist

A sentimentalist keeps a box of old letters and photographs.

Definition

Noun: A person who is prone to or indulges in excessive sentimentality; someone who bases actions or judgments on feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia, often to an exaggerated or unrealistic degree.

Usage

A "sentimentalist" is someone who is governed by or excessively values sentiment, often prioritizing emotional appeal over practical or rational considerations. The term can be used neutrally, but often carries a mildly critical or dismissive connotation, suggesting a lack of realism or an overindulgence in emotion.

Examples
  • He was such a sentimentalist that he kept every birthday card he ever received.
  • The film critic dismissed the director as a sentimentalist who relied on cheap emotional tricks.
  • Don't be such a sentimentalist; we need to make a logical decision about selling the old car.
Advanced Usage
  • In literary or artistic criticism: Used to describe a creator whose work is characterized by an overt, often cloying, emphasis on emotional effect.
    • The novelist was accused by some of being a mere sentimentalist, but her books resonated deeply with a wide audience.
Variants and Related Words
  • Sentimental (adjective): Characterized by, expressing, or appealing to tender, nostalgic, or emotional feelings.
    • She had a sentimental attachment to her childhood home.
  • Sentimentality (noun): The quality of being sentimental, especially to an excessive degree.
    • The movie's sentimentality felt forced and manipulative.
  • Sentimentalism (noun): A tendency to be sentimental; also, the practice of being sentimental, especially in art or literature.
    • The era's literary sentimentalism was a reaction against cold rationality.
Synonyms
  • Romantic (when referring to an idealistic, emotional person)
  • Emotionalist
  • Softie (informal)
Antonyms
  • Realist
  • Pragmatist
  • Stoic
  • Cynic (in the context of dismissing emotion)
Related Idioms/Phrases
  • To wear one's heart on one's sleeve: To openly show one's feelings. A sentimentalist often does this.
    • As a true sentimentalist, he wears his heart on his sleeve for everyone to see.
sentimentalist

A sentimentalist keeps a box of old letters and photographs.

Noun
  1. someone who indulges in excessive sentimentality

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