Sappy
'sæpi
Definitions
2 meaningsExcessively sentimental, exhibiting an overabundance of emotion, often considered corny or mawkish.
'sæpi
Excessively sentimental or mawkish.
The romance novel was filled with sappy dialogue.
💡 Simply: Imagine a really cheesy love scene in a movie where everyone's crying and hugging. That kind of scene is sappy because it's trying too hard to make you feel emotional.
👶 For kids: When something is trying too hard to be sad or happy and it's kind of silly.
More Examples
I couldn't stand the sappy music playing during the wedding.
His sappy attempts at humor were met with groans from the audience.
How It's Used
"The movie was so sappy; I was practically rolling my eyes the whole time."
"Critics often describe the film's ending as sappy, sacrificing plot logic for emotional appeal."
Foolish or silly in an emotional way; lacking good sense or judgment.
'sæpi
Foolish or silly
Stop being sappy; it’s not that big of a deal.
💡 Simply: Being 'sappy' in this sense means acting foolish or silly, especially because you're being too emotional about something.
👶 For kids: Being silly because you are feeling too many feelings.
More Examples
He felt sappy when he started to cry over the lost cat.
Don't make sappy promises, you're going to break!
How It's Used
"Don't be sappy; there's no reason to worry about that."
From Middle English *sappy, related to sap (as in tree sap), referring originally to being excessively juicy or full of sap, later to emotional excess.
Historically, 'sappy' was associated with excessive moisture and was used metaphorically to describe someone overly emotional.
Memory tip
Think of a tree overflowing with sap – too much sap makes it messy, just like too much sentimentality is sappy.
Word Origin
"sap, full of juice"