tearjerker

[teer-jur-ker]

See more synonyms for tearjerker on Thesaurus.com

noun Informal.

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

Origin of tearjerker

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

Related formstear·jerk·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for tearjerker

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

Examples from the Web for tearjerker

Contemporary Examples of tearjerker

As Bichir put it, his tearjerker role is just the sort that actors “die” for.
Demian Bichir Nominated for Best Actor Oscar – Who Is He?
Melissa Leon, Anna Klassen
January 25, 2012