tearjerker

noun

tear·​jerk·​er ˈtir-ˌjər-kər How to pronounce tearjerker (audio)
: a story, song, play, film, or broadcast that moves or is intended to move its audience to tears
tear-jerking adjective

Examples of tearjerker in a Sentence

I'm not in the mood to see a tearjerker. Let's watch something funny instead.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Is this a deeply sad, award-winning tearjerker of a drama? James Factora, Them., 26 Sep. 2025 One of the apparent counterexamples is easy to explain, the tearjerker. Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025 Million Dollar Baby is another film living in Rocky’s shadow without its tearjerker of an ending. Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025 Some viewers will be fully immersed in the horror and despair of the moment, while others may have greater misgivings regarding Ben Hania’s layering of tearjerker tactics over material that hardly requires extra emotional amplification. Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tearjerker

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tearjerker was in 1912

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tearjerker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tearjerker. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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