A tendency to regard things emotionally or to be overly emotional. The film's emotionalism was evident in its dramatic music and tear-jerking scenes.
An excessive display of emotion, especially in art, literature, or music. Critics often accused the novel of emotionalism, arguing that it relied too heavily on sentimentality.
A philosophical or aesthetic doctrine that places primary emphasis on emotion in explaining experience or guiding conduct. In Victorian art criticism, emotionalism held that a painting's value lay chiefly in the feelings it evoked.