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.
Others, like this early tearjerker episode of ABC's enduring medical drama, can pull your heartstrings, just like every other episode. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024 In the hands of Nelson, the song — with atmospheric, funereal production and Willie’s tearjerker vocals — becomes autobiographical. Andrew Kirell, NBC News, 29 Oct. 2024 The film — which A24 will release on a date still to be determined — is a good old-fashioned tearjerker, a more modern and risqué version of something that, say, Walter Pidgeon and Greer Garson would have starred in together 80 years ago. Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 One of the best tearjerkers ever made, Field of Dreams is kind of the ultimate Father’s Day movie, a flick that seems to be about the great American love for baseball that reveals itself to be more about fatherhood than anything else. Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 14 June 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near tearjerker

Cite this Entry

“Tearjerker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tearjerker. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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