sentiment

sentiment — noun

1. an attitude or opinion about a situation that comes from feeling rather than pur

1.nounB2
Definition

an attitude or opinion about a situation that comes from feeling rather than purely from logic — for example, the general mood among citizens regarding a new law, or one's personal impression of a colleague's proposal.

Example

Ezra expressed his sentiment that the new overtime policy placed an unfair burden on junior staff.

Public sentiment on plastic waste shifted sharply after images of injured sea turtles went viral online.

collocation: public sentiment + on + topic

Common collocations
  • express + sentiment
  • public sentiment
  • sentiment + on/about
  • sentiment + among + group
  • growing sentiment
  • share + sentiments
  • similar sentiments
Synonyms
  • opinion

    more neutral and less tied to emotion; used for any personal judgment

  • view

    more personal and specific; often implies a reasoned position

  • feeling

    more emotional and less analytical; overlaps with sentiment but is broader

Antonyms
  • fact

    a sentiment is based on feeling; a fact is based on evidence

  • logic

    sentiment appeals to emotion; logic appeals to reason

Grammar Patterns

sentiment + that-clause

sentiment + about/on/towards + topic

sentiment + among + group

Usage Note

Often appears in the plural form 'sentiments' when referring to specific opinions held by different people ('their sentiments were divided on the issue').

Common Mistakes

I have a sentiment that we should leave now.
I have a feeling / an opinion that we should leave now.
'sentiment' in this sense usually appears in set phrases (public sentiment, sentiments on) or group contexts, not as a simple personal opinion.

2. feelings of love, sympathy, or nostalgia, especially when these are judged to be

2.nounB2
Definition

feelings of love, sympathy, or nostalgia, especially when these are judged to be too strong, inappropriate, or insincere for the situation — for example, sentimental words in a farewell speech that feel overdone, or emotional reactions dismissed as impractical.

Example

The movie was full of cheap sentiment and unrealistic romantic scenes.

disapproving use: cheap sentiment

Selim told his board there was no room for sentiment when cutting the company's failing product lines.

negative construction: no room for sentiment

Common collocations
  • cheap sentiment
  • empty sentiment
  • no room for sentiment
  • full of sentiment
  • lost in sentiment
Synonyms
  • sentimentality

    more strongly disapproving; specifically implies excessive or mawkish emotion

  • emotion

    broader and more neutral; lacks the critical tone of sentiment in this sense

  • tenderness

    positive and genuine, unlike the often-dismissive flavour of sentiment

Antonyms
  • practicality

    focus on what works rather than emotional appeal

  • rationality

    decision-making based on logic rather than feeling

Grammar Patterns

full of sentiment

no room for sentiment

cheap/empty sentiment

Usage Note

Commonly used in disapproving contexts ('cheap sentiment', 'empty sentiment') or in negative constructions that contrast emotion with practicality ('no room for sentiment').

Common Mistakes

The card was full of nice sentiment.' (positive, neutral use)
The card was full of warm feeling, but not cheap sentiment.
sense 2 carries a critical or contrastive tone; for a purely positive meaning, use 'warmth' or 'affection' instead.

Word family

  • sentimental
    adjectiveB2
  • sentimentally
    adverbC1
  • sentimentality
    nounC1
  • sentimentalize
    verbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to a person's stance on something, but they differ in emotional weight and context. 'Opinion' is the most neutral — it simply states what someone thinks, often with reasoning ('In my opinion, the plan needs more review'). 'View' is slightly more personal and can reflect a broader perspective ('From an environmental view, the policy is sound'). 'Feeling' brings in emotion explicitly ('I have a bad feeling about this decision') and is more informal. 'Sentiment' sits between 'feeling' and 'opinion': it is shaped by emotion but expressed as a collective or publicly shared stance ('Public sentiment turned against the law'). Use 'opinion' for reasoned positions, 'feeling' for personal emotional reactions, 'view' for personal perspective, and 'sentiment' for emotion-coloured opinions shared by a group.

opinion ↗view ↗feeling ↗sentiment ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • public sentiment
  • market sentiment
  • popular sentiment
  • political sentiment

Adverbs

Phrases

  • sentiment that + clause
  • sentiment among + group
  • sentiment on + issue

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'sentiment' entered English from French 'sentiment', which traces back to the Latin 'sentire' (to feel, perceive, or think). The Latin root originally referred to sensory perception before broadening to include emotions and opinions. The word arrived in English during the 14th century, first carrying a sense of 'feeling' or 'emotional impression', and later developed the more intellectual branch of 'opinion based on feeling'.