View synonyms for schmaltz

schmaltz

[ shmahlts, shmawlts ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Informal. exaggerated sentimentalism, as in music or soap operas.
liquid animal fat, especially of a chicken.

schmaltz

/ ʃmɔːlts; ʃmælts /

noun

excessive sentimentality, esp in music
animal fat used in cooking

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of schmaltz¹

First recorded in 1930–35; from Yiddish shmalts or German Schmalz; cognate with smelt ¹

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of schmaltz¹

C20: from German ( Schmalz ) and Yiddish: melted fat, from Old High German smalz

Discover More

Example Sentences

The horror factor, however, takes a back seat when Ally and Jay share comically gratuitous moments of rom-com schmaltz.

From Los Angeles Times

Debates about “Love Actually” are mainly about the quality of its schmaltz.

From Salon

Jimmy Cagney’s old schmaltz vehicle "Yankee Doodle Dandy" looks restrained by comparison.

From Salon

In what I hope is meant to suggest the falseness of these stories, Brown pounds the pastiche in the songs so hard it borders on minstrelsy: hip-hop for the fixer; fiddle schmaltz for the pilgrims.

From New York Times

He called the second one “his schmaltz camera,” Meyerowitz recalled, in a recent phone interview.

From New York Times

Schmalkalden schmaltzy

Browse