Maudlinism refers to an excessively sentimental or emotional attitude that can be off-putting to others. Some synonyms for this word include sentimentality, mushiness, saccharine, sappiness, and melodrama. These words all denote an excessive focus on emotions and can be used to describe people who are overly sentimental about things. Other related words might include nostalgia, which refers to a longing for the past, or mawkishness, which describes a sentimental or emotional quality that can seem insincere or affected. Regardless of the word used, these synonyms all share a common thread of describing someone who is overly emotional or sentimental in a way that can be grating to others.