Sentiment

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1. Definition + Rich Everyday Explanation

Sentiment (noun) ( sen tɪ mənt ) = a feeling, opinion, or attitude, especially one based on emotion rather than logic; the overall mood or attitude of a group towards something; OR feelings of tenderness, nostalgia, or excessive emotion.

Think about how people feel about something rather than what they think logically. When we talk about public sentiment towards a politician, we’re describing the emotional attitude of the population — do they trust them? Like them? Feel hopeful or angry? Sentiment captures that emotional undercurrent that shapes how people respond to things.

MEANING 1: Opinion or Attitude Based on Feeling (Noun) — VERY COMMON

The most frequent meaning. A sentiment is a view or opinion shaped by emotion. “I share that sentiment” means I feel the same way. “The sentiment behind his words was kind” means the underlying feeling was good, even if the words weren’t perfect. This usage acknowledges that our positions on things aren’t purely rational — they’re influenced by how we feel.

You’ll often hear this in phrases like “public sentiment,” “popular sentiment,” or “anti-war sentiment” — describing the collective emotional attitude of groups of people.

MEANING 2: Overall Mood or Attitude of a Group (Noun) — VERY COMMON

In business, politics, and media, sentiment describes the prevailing mood or attitude that influences behaviour. Market sentiment is whether investors feel optimistic or pessimistic — it affects stock prices. Consumer sentiment measures how confident people feel about spending money. Voter sentiment shows how the electorate is leaning emotionally.

This meaning is huge in modern contexts. Companies use sentiment analysis to scan social media and understand how people feel about their brand. It’s about measuring collective emotion.

MEANING 3: Tender or Nostalgic Emotion (Noun) — Sometimes Negative

Sentiment can also mean soft, tender feelings — often associated with nostalgia, romance, or emotional sensitivity. This is where “sentimental” comes from. However, this meaning sometimes carries a slightly negative tone — suggesting excessive or inappropriate emotion. “There’s no room for sentiment in business” means emotions shouldn’t interfere with practical decisions.

The phrase “nice sentiment” can be backhanded — it suggests the feeling is kind but perhaps naive or impractical.

Examples from the street:

• “I share that sentiment entirely.” → I feel exactly the same way; I agree with that emotional position
• “Market sentiment has turned negative.” → Investors’ overall mood has become pessimistic
• “It’s a nice sentiment, but it won’t work.” → The feeling behind the idea is kind, but it’s not practical

2. Most Common Patterns

Sentiment as opinion/attitude (noun):

• share the/that sentiment → agree with a feeling or opinion
• express a sentiment → communicate a feeling or view
• the sentiment behind + noun → the feeling underlying something
• echo the sentiment → repeat or agree with a feeling
• a nice/lovely sentiment → a kind thought (sometimes implies impracticality)

Sentiment as collective mood (noun):

• public/popular sentiment → the general feeling among people
• market/investor sentiment → the mood affecting financial decisions
• consumer sentiment → how confident buyers feel about spending
• anti-/pro- sentiment → feelings against or in favour of something
• sentiment analysis → measuring attitudes through data (especially online)
• gauge/measure sentiment → assess the overall mood

Sentiment as excessive emotion (noun):

• no room for sentiment → emotions shouldn’t influence this situation
• pure/mere sentiment → just emotion, not practical thinking

Related forms:

• sentimental (adjective) → emotional, nostalgic, sometimes excessively so
• sentimentality (noun) → excessive tender emotion; often negative

3. Phrasal Verbs

Note: “Sentiment” doesn’t form phrasal verbs — these are related expressions:

• warm to → gradually develop positive feelings towards someone or something
  Example: “Voters are slowly warming to the new candidate.”
• turn against → develop negative feelings towards someone or something previously supported
  Example: “Public opinion has turned against the government’s policy.”
• come around (to) → change one’s opinion or feelings to agree with something
  Example: “She eventually came around to the idea of moving abroad.”
• go along with → agree with or support an opinion or feeling
  Example: “Most of the committee went along with the general sentiment that changes were needed.”

4. Example Sentences

1. I completely share that sentiment — we need more investment in public transport
   → I totally agree with that view — we require greater funding for buses and trains.
2. Public sentiment has shifted dramatically against the proposed tax increase
   → The general mood among people has changed significantly, now opposing the suggested levy rise.
3. Market sentiment remains cautious ahead of the central bank’s announcement
   → Investor mood stays nervous before the financial authority’s statement.
4. It’s a nice sentiment, but giving everyone a raise isn’t financially possible
   → The thought behind it is kind, but increasing everybody’s salary isn’t economically feasible.
5. The company uses sentiment analysis to track how customers feel about their products
   → The business employs mood-measuring technology to monitor buyers’ attitudes towards their goods.
6. There’s growing anti-establishment sentiment among younger voters
   → There’s increasing hostility towards traditional power structures among the youth electorate.
7. The sentiment behind her apology seemed genuine, even if her words were awkward
   → The feeling underlying her expression of regret appeared sincere, despite her clumsy phrasing.
8. In business, there’s no room for sentiment — decisions must be based on data
   → In commercial matters, emotions shouldn’t interfere — choices must rely on evidence and figures.
9. Many colleagues echoed the sentiment that working from home improved their productivity
   → Numerous workmates repeated the view that remote working enhanced their output.
10. Consumer sentiment is at its lowest level in a decade
    → Buyer confidence and mood has dropped to its weakest point in ten years.

5. Personal Examples

1. I try to gauge the sentiment in the classroom before starting a difficult topic — if students seem tired or frustrated, I adjust my approach rather than pushing ahead blindly
   → I attempt to assess the overall mood among learners before introducing challenging material — if they appear exhausted or annoyed, I modify my method rather than proceeding regardless.
2. When students say “I hate grammar,” the sentiment behind that statement is usually “I find this confusing and frustrating” — addressing the real feeling helps more than defending grammar’s importance
   → When learners declare they despise structural rules, the underlying feeling is typically “I find this bewildering and irritating” — responding to the actual emotion helps more than justifying why grammar matters.

6. Register: Neutral to Formal

✔ Native usage tips

• “I share that sentiment” is a slightly formal but very useful way to express agreement — it’s more sophisticated than simply saying “I agree” and acknowledges the emotional dimension of opinions
• “Market sentiment” and “consumer sentiment” are essential business and economics vocabulary — you’ll encounter these constantly in financial news and reports
• “Nice sentiment” can be dismissive — saying “That’s a nice sentiment” often implies “but it’s naive/impractical/won’t work.” Pay attention to tone when you hear or use this phrase
• “Sentiment analysis” has become a major field — companies analyse millions of social media posts to understand how people feel about brands, products, and issues. It’s a growing area of technology and marketing
• “Sentimental” (adjective) often has a slightly negative edge — it suggests being overly emotional, nostalgic to an excessive degree, or letting feelings cloud judgment. “Don’t be sentimental” means don’t let emotions interfere
• “Sentimental value” is a positive exception — something with sentimental value matters because of emotional associations, not monetary worth. “The ring isn’t expensive, but it has sentimental value.”

✔ Similar expressions/words

• Opinion → similar but more neutral; doesn’t emphasise the emotional basis; more about thought than feeling
• Feeling → similar but more casual and personal; sentiment is often about collective or expressed feelings
• Attitude → similar but broader; includes behaviour and approach as well as feelings; less specifically emotional