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 Photo: Shutterstock Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield bring wistful melancholy to the parts of three young adults who met at a sinister boarding school in Mark Romanek’s dystopian tearjerker. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2024 Starring Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Emilio Estevez, and Diane Lane, this movie is a major tearjerker, guaranteed to grab (and hold) the interest of even the most reticent young viewer. Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2023 Adapted from the off-Broadway play by Robert Harling, this tearjerker follows the lives, loves, and tragedies of a group of women gathered in a Louisiana beauty shop. Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 14 Nov. 2023 In honor of its birthday, here are the stars whose hearts still go on for the tearjerker. Nigel Smith, Peoplemag, 19 Dec. 2023 What’s the commission rate on those tearjerker letters, exactly? Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 18 Dec. 2023 MacGraw and O'Neal played a couple in the classic 1970 tearjerker Ali MacGraw is remembering her Love Story costar Ryan O’Neal, who died Friday at age 82. Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 10 Dec. 2023 Emma Stone, Demi Lovato and more on their love of the classic tearjerker There's a reason Titanic remains one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. Nigel Smith, Peoplemag, 19 Dec. 2023 Watch Now 25 Up (2009) UP Official Trailer Watch on Prepare for another tearjerker, courtesy of Pixar. Christine Giordano, Women's Health, 27 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tearjerker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tearjerker was in 1912

Dictionary Entries Near tearjerker

Cite this Entry

“Tearjerker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tearjerker. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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