- foolishly and tearfully or weakly sentimental
- tearfully sentimental from too much liquor
Origin of maudlin
after Maudlin, Magdalene from Middle English Maudeleyne from Old French Madeleine: Magdalene was often represented with eyes red from weeping
adjective
The definition of maudlin is someone who is overly sentimental, often in a tearful way or as a result of consuming alcohol.
An example of someone who would be described as maudlin is a person who has had a few drinks and is now tearfully weepy about her lost loves.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"maudlin." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/mauDlin>.
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maudlin. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/mauDlin
maudlin
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"maudlin." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/mauDlin>.
APA Style
maudlin. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/mauDlin
maudlin
adjective
Effusively sad or full of self-pity; extremely sentimental: “displayed an almost maudlin concern for the welfare of animals” ( Aldous Huxley ) See Synonyms at sentimental.
Origin of maudlin
Alteration of (Mary) Magdalene who was frequently depicted as a tearful penitentRelated Forms:
- maud′lin·ly
adverb
- maud′lin·ness
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"maudlin." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/mauDlin>.
APA Style
maudlin. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/mauDlin
Noun
(plural maudlins)
Adjective
(comparative more maudlin, superlative most maudlin)
- Affectionate or sentimental in an effusive, tearful, or foolish manner, especially because of drunkenness. [from 17th c.]
- Extravagantly or excessively sentimental; mawkish, self-pitying. [from 17th c.]
Anagrams
Origin
Middle English form of Mary Magdalene (typically depicted weeping), ultimately from Late Latin Magdalena.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"maudlin." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 October 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/mauDlin>.
APA Style
maudlin. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/mauDlin
Sentence Examples
- Getting all maudlin on this happy outing.
- You didn't invite me out here to listen to my maudlin rambling.
- "Edith got a little maudlin last night," Dean answered.
- And I'm sorry I got so boozy and maudlin on you the other night.
- Moroseness and dogmatism are as far from the Pantagruelism of Rabelais as maudlin sentimentality or dilettantism.
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