tearjerker

[ teer-jur-ker ]
/ ˈtɪərˌdʒɜr kər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR tearjerker ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Informal.

a pathetic story, play, movie, or the like; an excessively sentimental tale.

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Origin of tearjerker

First recorded in 1930–35; tear1 + jerk1 + -er1

OTHER WORDS FROM tearjerker

tear·jerk·ing, adjective

Words nearby tearjerker

tearaway, teardown, teardrop, tearful, tearing, tearjerker, tearless, tearoom, tears, tearstain, teary
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to tear-jerker

longing, sentimentality, remorse, yearning, wistfulness, play, theater, farce, show, scene, production, comedy, tragedy, melodrama, homesickness, reminiscence, schmaltz, pining, story, novel

British Dictionary definitions for tear-jerker

tear-jerker
/ (ˈtɪəˌdʒɜːkə) /

noun

informal an excessively sentimental film, play, book, etc
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012