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Noun: sensationalism  sen'sey-shu-nu,li-zum
  1. Subject matter that is calculated to excite and please vulgar tastes
  2. The journalistic use of subject matter that appeals to vulgar tastes
    "the tabloids relied on sensationalism to maintain their circulation";
    - luridness
    - sensualism
  4. (philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge derives from experience
    - empiricism, empiricist philosophy, phenomenalism

Derived forms: sensationalisms

See also: sensational, unsensational

Type of: content, journalese, message, philosophical doctrine, philosophical theory, subject matter, substance

Encyclopedia: Sensationalism