tearjerker

noun

tear·​jerk·​er ˈtir-ˌjər-kər 

: a story, song, play, film, or broadcast that moves or is intended to move its audience to tears

tear-jerking

ˈtir-ˌjər-kiŋ 

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

This week, Gracie Abrams pens a tearjerker on mother-daughter relationships, Steve Lacy escapes the abyss of a breakup on a colossal double track, and Beabadoobee contemplates risk and reward on a fuzzy new single. — Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026

If the real-life shark sculpture was a controversial point of community debate, however, Rebekah Fortune‘s highly likable, heart-on-sleeve tearjerker won’t be nearly as divisive. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 10 July 2026

Unsurprisingly, the film is often cited as one of the great tearjerkers of American cinema. — Air Mail, 4 July 2026

Somewhat of a tearjerker, this a multigenerational tale in which a grandmother helps her granddaughter learn to be comfortable in her own skin. — Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 19 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tearjerker

• caseworker
• coworker
• farmworker
• woodworker
• worker