the.com/sentimentality
Emotion that ordered a size too big for the occasion.
means An indulgence in tender feelings out of proportion to what actually warrants them, often prized for its own sake.
from From Latin sentire, to feel, via the 1700s cult of sentiment, when weeping over a novel proved you had a soul worth bragging about.
Critic's verdictOscar Wilde called it wanting unearned emotional luxury.
Built-in shelf lifeIt curdles into kitsch faster than milk.
Gateway drugGreeting-card industry runs entirely on it.