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The Squirming Origins of Mawkish
Mawkish really opens up a can of worms—or maggots, as it were: the word wriggled out from Middle English mawke, meaning “maggot.” Its earliest sense, used in the late 17th century but now obsolete, was synonymous with squeamish (understandable!) but not long after that mawkish was used to describe an unpleasant, nauseating, often sickeningly sweet flavor. It’s no surprise that a figurative sense of mawkish, used to describe things that are full of “sickly sweet” sentimentality, arose almost concurrently, one of several food texture- and taste-related words favored by critics to show disdain for art they deem overly emotive, including gooey, saccharine, mushy, and schmaltzy.
Examples of mawkish in a Sentence
Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Knight’s directorial debut never tips over into mawkish but has some unashamedly tender moments.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
After a mawkish beginning, the play somewhat redeems itself through earned emotions and an ambiguous ending that begs discussion.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, jailed and banned frequently, has never allowed his work to get mawkish.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mawkish
Cite this Entry
“Mawkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mawkish. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mawkish
adjective
