Maudlin is an adjective that means self-pitying or tearfully sentimental.

Our word of the day has a biblical origin. Mary Magdalen of the New Testament was often referred to as ‘the weeping sinner.’ By the Middle English period, a derivation of her last name became maudlin. Here’s an example of it in use:

That last scene in the movie may have been a little maudlin, but I have to admit it moved me to tears — just like everybody else in the theater.