as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
a schmaltzy television commercial featuring a photogenic, perfect family
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Recent Examples of schmaltzy
In the way that Harrison looks to the Bible for models of relationships and drama, Cappa’s Haha, You Clowns looks to schmaltzy sitcoms and after school specials.
—
James Folta, Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
Its almost schmaltzy final notes are a brilliant companion to Coppola’s unforgettable ending.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
This chicken was juicy, tenderly shreddable and doused in a schmaltzy sauce, an emulsion of chicken fat and stock, landing somewhere in between chicken gravy and milky oxtail broth.
—Cesar Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 July 2025
James Folta, Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
Its almost schmaltzy final notes are a brilliant companion to Coppola’s unforgettable ending.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
This chicken was juicy, tenderly shreddable and doused in a schmaltzy sauce, an emulsion of chicken fat and stock, landing somewhere in between chicken gravy and milky oxtail broth.
—Cesar Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for schmaltzy
Adjective
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Kevin Hart got sentimental sending son Hendrix off to prom — even loaning him a watch for the evening.—
Lindy Segal,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
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As the next generation of NFL stars showed up in style for football's big night, Jordyn Tyson laced up his older brother Jaylon Tyson's sneakers, which held a bit of their own sentimental sports history.—
Kelly McCarthy,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But the Pistons were sloppy with the ball and careless overall in a 94-88 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday night, falling behind 3-1 in their first-round Eastern Conference series.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Wolves started out sloppy with nine first-quarter turnovers and finished with 25.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The worry looming over the economy Earlier this month, Dimon had also warned in his shareholder letter that the war in Iran risks oil and commodity price shocks that could keep inflation sticky and push interest rates higher than the market now expects.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok has warned the combination of tariffs, sticky inflation, and slowing growth can create a stagflation-like setup, one that would be hostile to both markets and consumers.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Schmaltzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/schmaltzy. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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