Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for tear-jerker.
Definitions

tear-jerker

NOUN
drama
Synonyms
STRONGEST
comedy farce melodrama play production scene show theater tragedy
STRONG
Broadway boards climax dramatization dramaturgy footlights showmanship stagecraft theatricals vehicle
WEAK
dramatic art histrionic art show business stage show thespian art
Antonyms
STRONGEST
tragedy
WEAK
comedy
NOUN
mush
Synonyms
STRONG
affectation gush mawkishness romanticism schmaltz sentimentalism superficiality
WEAK
maudlinism
NOUN
nostalgia
Synonyms
STRONGEST
longing remorse sentimentality wistfulness yearning
STRONG
homesickness pining reminiscence schmaltz
WEAK
fond memories hearts and flowers
NOUN
romance
Synonyms
STRONG
ballad fantasy fiction idealization idyll legend lyric melodrama novel story tale
WEAK
fairy tale love story
Antonyms
STRONG
nonfiction truth

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.

They could even create different endings for different kinds of fan: a happy ending for the romantics and a tear-jerker for those who appreciate a good tragedy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

It’s the kind of deliciously painful tear-jerker that’s hard to write and even harder to believably pull off, but it’s also not surprising that this particular pairing will break your heart so beautifully.

From Salon • Sep. 2, 2025

For the upcoming tour, he's playing it back-to-back with a new tear-jerker, Northern Lights, that dives even deeper into heartbreak.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2025

Nash, the creator and showrunner of ABC’s “A Million Little Things,” regularly tapped out scads of Twitter posts to his more than 14,000 followers, live-tweeting during new episodes of the tear-jerker drama.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2023

"All right," I muttered savagely, "let's go and get a tear-jerker to write!"

From The Harbor by Poole, Ernest