tearjerker

American  

[teer-jur-ker] / ˈtɪərˌdʒɜr kər /

noun

1. a story, play, movie, or the like that is sentimental or sad enough to evoke pangs of emotion to the point of tears.

   This new version of a classic tearjerker is touted as the must-see film of the holiday season, but it lacks the genuine warmth of the original.

---

Other Word Forms

• tearjerking adjective

Etymology

Origin of tearjerker

First recorded in 1930–35; tear ¹ + jerk ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Written and recorded over three weeks in late 2023, Who Believes In Angels? has received rave reviews from critics, who have called it "a gutsy, flamboyant tearjerker" and a "late-career high".

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2025

So perhaps it's inevitable that when, after years of searching for the right project for her directorial debut, she gravitated to novelist Renee Carlino's wry tearjerker, "Wish You Were Here."

From Salon • Jan. 21, 2025

The dying professor has our concern, though this is not a medical drama or conventional tearjerker by any means.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2023

In the series, Mazin and Druckmann create a romantic backstory for the two characters, creating one of the series’ most talked about tearjerker episodes.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 28, 2023

Father Moretta told everyone to go in peace, and Las Colibri began to play “Amor Eterno,” the Juan Gabriel tearjerker about a mother gone too soon that’s now a standard at Mexican American funerals.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2023