sensationalism
noun
Simple meaning
The journalistic use of subject matter that appeals to vulgar tastes.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sehnsayshuhnuhlihzuhmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
sɛnˈseɪʃənəlɪzəm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The journalistic use of subject matter that appeals to vulgar tastes
“The tabloids relied on sensationalism to maintain their circulation.”
The use of sensational subject matter, style or methods, or the sensational subject matter itself; behavior, published materials, or broadcasts that are intentionally controversial, exaggerated, lurid, loud, or attention-grabbing. Especially applied to news media in a pejorative sense that they are reporting in a manner to gain audience or notoriety but at the expense of accuracy and professionalism.
Subject matter that is calculated to excite and please vulgar tastes
philosophy
The doctrine that knowledge derives from experience
philosophy
A theory of philosophy that all knowledge is ultimately derived from the senses.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The journalistic use of subject matter that appeals to vulgar tastes
Used this way, sensationalism is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The tabloids relied on sensationalism to maintain their circulation.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “sensationalism to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: sensationalism to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “sensationalism” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.