tearjerker
noun
a story, play, movie, or the like that is sentimental or sad enough to evoke pangs of emotion to the point of tears.
tearjerkers
-
pluralof tearjerker.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Death scenes meant to be tearjerkers seem hokey instead; the tension surrounding the prospect of love leading to death never feels genuine; and the jokes are terrible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Unlike Douglas Sirk’s beautifully photographed Technicolor melodramas of the 1950s, or the subgenre’s more narratively contemplative, weepy entries from the late ’70s, the new guard of romantic tearjerkers doesn’t have a pronounced stylistic draw.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2026
He’s always been a gearhead, devoted to celluloid and sprocket holes, but his best movies are also sentimental as hell—big, sloppy tearjerkers wrapped inside clockwork thrillers.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2020
“Wonder” and “Wonderstruck” were easily confused, both being family-friendly tearjerkers, but no one was going to forget one of the best-selling, most satisfying movies of the year: “Wonder Woman.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2018
In “Mostly Sondheim,” her critically acclaimed revue of songs by the composer, the singer interspersed his own compositions with numbers he admires - everything from Harold Arlen tearjerkers to the earthy, jazz-flecked “Hard-Hearted Hannah.”
From Washington Times ● Aug. 8, 2017
