xớt xợt
Definition
- Adjective:
- Excessively emotional, maudlin, or mawkish: Describes a display of sentimentality that is exaggerated, overly tearful, or insincerely gushing, often to the point of being distasteful or annoying.
- Cloying, sickly-sweet: Can refer to something, often a style of speech, writing, or behavior, that is overly and unpleasantly sentimental or affectionate.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Bộ phim ấy tình cảm quá, nhìn mà thấy xớt xợt. (That movie is too sentimental, watching it feels mawkish.)
- Cô ấy khóc lóc, than vãn một cách xớt xợt về chuyện nhỏ đó. (She cried and complained in a cloyingly emotional way about that small matter.)
- Lời văn trong bức thư nghe thật xớt xợt và giả tạo. (The prose in the letter sounds truly maudlin and fake.)
Advanced Usage
- The word is often used in a critical or dismissive tone to judge an expression of emotion as being over-the-top, insincere, or lacking in dignity.
- It can describe not just people's actions, but also artistic works (movies, songs, novels) that employ heavy-handed sentimentality.
Variants and Related Words
- Xớt (adj): A slightly less intense form, meaning sentimental or prone to showing emotion. "Xớt xợt" is considered a stronger, reduplicative form.
- Tính nó hơi xớt, dễ khóc. (She's a bit sentimental and cries easily.)
Synonyms
- Maudlin: Excessively sentimental, often while drunk.
- Mawkish: Sentimental in a feeble or sickly way.
- Cloying: Overly sweet or sentimental to the point of disgust.
- Saccharine: Excessively sweet or sentimental.
Related Idioms
- While "xớt xợt" itself is not typically part of a fixed idiom, it describes the quality targeted in expressions like:
- Làm màu, làm điệu: To put on airs, to act in an affected manner, which can include "xớt xợt" behavior.
- Giả tạo, điệu đà: Fake, affected, which overlaps with the insincerity implied by "xớt xợt".