maudlin

adjective

maud·​lin ˈmȯd-lən How to pronounce maudlin (audio)
1
: drunk enough to be emotionally silly
a mob of maudlin rummies … sing hymnsJoseph Mitchell
would crack open another beer and become maudlinPatrick Moore
2
: weakly and effusively sentimental
maudlin expressions of regret

Did you know?

The history of maudlin is connected both to the Bible and the barroom. The biblical Mary Magdalene is often (though some say mistakenly) identified with the weeping sinner who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears to repent for her sins. This association led to the frequent depiction of Mary Magdalene as a weeping penitent, and even the name Magdalene came to suggest teary emotion to many English speakers. It was then that maudlin, an alteration of Magdalene, appeared in the English phrase “maudlin drunk” in the 16th century, describing a weepy, drunken state. Nowadays, maudlin is used to describe someone or something that expresses sadness or sentimentality in an exaggerated way; however, the “maudlin drunk” meaning was so intoxicating that it stuck around and became the “drunk enough to be emotionally silly” sense still in use today, as in “after a few glasses of port he became quite maudlin.”

Examples of maudlin in a Sentence

He became maudlin and started crying like a child. a maudlin movie about a lovable tramp
Recent Examples on the Web The messy pace — alternately defiant, maudlin, weepy and bombastic — sounds like a country that was working things out within itself but nevertheless remained optimistic and confident about its future. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024 Without ever becoming maudlin or didactic, Glück traces both an epoch and an act of commemorating the dead. Daniel Felsenthal, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2024 But longtime fans worried about the Atlanta rapper veering into maudlin self-aggrandizement shouldn’t worry. Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2024 But that sentiment serves instead to highlight how this maudlin Japanese drama about a gay man in his 30s coping with love and loss, rarely moves beyond the readymade platitudes that litter its well-meaning narrative. Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 13 Jan. 2024 In the hands of lesser actors, the setup could become maudlin; but Chastain and Sarsgaard, who are both generating Oscar buzz for their performances, elevate the film to unexpected emotional heights. Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 27 Dec. 2023 But what makes the play most compelling — at least until its maudlin final moments — is its idiosyncratic storytelling, bolstered by those vivid details and the erratic behavior of the protagonist, Moses Schneider. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023 Never maudlin, but deeply touching, like the Get Back movie. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2023 There’s something slightly maudlin about talking about work that’s so old. Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 18 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maudlin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Mary Magdalene; from her depiction as a weeping penitent

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of maudlin was in 1509

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Cite this Entry

“Maudlin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maudlin. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

maudlin

adjective
maud·​lin ˈmȯd-lən How to pronounce maudlin (audio)
1
: drunk enough to be tearfully silly
2
: weakly and overly sentimental
Etymology

Middle English Maudeleyn "Mary Magdalene," from early French Madeleine (same meaning), from Latin Magdalene (same meaning), from Greek Magdalēnē "(Mary) of Magdala (town on the Sea of Galilee)"; so called because Mary was frequently shown in religious paintings as weeping

Word Origin
The word maudlin can be traced back to the name of a town in ancient Palestine, Magdala. But the meaning of maudlin is associated with a person in the Christian Bible. In the Gospels, Mary Magdalene was so called because she was thought to have come from Magdala. She was a devoted follower of Jesus and was present at his crucifixion. Yet her name was not always spelled as it is today. Our modern English translations of the Bible have gone back to the Latin text for the form Magdalene. But in early French, the g dropped out and the word became Madelaine. When the name was taken into Middle English from the early French texts, its form was Maudeleyn and later Maudlin. In the Middle Ages, religious artists painting scenes of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus showed Mary as weeping. In time her name became an adjective for a tearful show of emotion and later especially for an exaggerated display of emotion from a drunken person.

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