Maudlin
adj, name, noun ·Very common ·Middle school level
Definitions
- 1 The Magdalene; Mary Magdalene. obsolete
"for alle they worſchipden hir ſouereynly / as worthy was / but ſpecially Mawdelayne / that wolde neuere departe fro hir."
- 2 Either of two aromatic plants, costmary or sweet yarrow. historical
"Common Maudlin have somewhat long and narrow leaves, snipped about the edges."
- 3 A Magdalene house; a brothel. obsolete
- 1 Affectionate or sentimental in an effusive, tearful, or foolish manner, especially because of drunkenness.
"Why, man, you couldn't stand—you made everybody laugh in the Gardens, though you were crying yourself. You were maudlin, Jos. Don't you remember singing a song?"
- 2 Extravagantly or excessively sentimental; mawkish, self-pitying.
"To cap it all I had written a letter to Mara saying that we had to find a way out soon or I would commit suicide. It must have been a maudlin letter because when she telephoned me she said it was imperative to see me immediately."
- 3 Tearful, lachrymose. obsolete
- 1 effusively or insincerely emotional wordnet
- 1 A surname originating as a matronymic.
- 2 Alternative form of Magdalen (“Magdalen College, Oxford”). alt-of, alternative
"At the same school we met a young man of small fortune, and in a subordinate situation at Maudlin."
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"Spare me your maudlin life stories."
Etymology
From Middle English Maudelen, a dialectal form of Mary Magdalene (typically depicted weeping), from Old French Madelaine (whence Madeleine), from Late Latin Magdalena (see Magdalena, Magdalene, and Maudlin).
English surname, from Middle English Maudeleyn. Doublet of Madeleine, Magdalen, Magdalena, and Magdalene.
Related phrases
More for "maudlin"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.