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 
Example Sentences
I'm not in the mood to see a tearjerker. Let's watch something funny instead.
Recent Examples on the Web Mandy Moore took home the Individual Achievement in Drama for This Is Us, which may provide some consolation for fans surprised that the actress was snubbed by the Emmys for her work on the final season of the NBC tearjerker. 
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 6 Aug. 2022 Those watching the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds game on Thursday were hit with a real tearjerker moment. EW.com, 12 Aug. 2022 The tearjerker ballad, which Bolton co-wrote with Doug James, was an apt choice for the spot. Paul Grein, Billboard, 24 June 2022 Depending on the day, it’s part crime drama, part psychological thriller and always a pull-at-your-heartstrings tearjerker. Liza Lentini, SPIN, 16 June 2022 That said, maybe at some point down the line NBC may grant us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the tearjerker ... Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 1 June 2022 Willis, naturally, saves the day, and I'll be damned if that last convo between father and daughter isn't an absolute tearjerker. Hilary Weaver, ELLE, 1 June 2022 This tearjerker family film charts the burgeoning relationship between a Black nanny (Whoopi Goldberg) and the hunky Jewish widower (Liotta) who hires her to watch his grieving daughter (Tina Majorino). David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2022 Bay’s tearjerker was enough to keep him safe, though Dan Marshall wasn’t so lucky. Billboard Staff, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2022 See More
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 6 Aug. 2022 Those watching the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds game on Thursday were hit with a real tearjerker moment. EW.com, 12 Aug. 2022 The tearjerker ballad, which Bolton co-wrote with Doug James, was an apt choice for the spot. Paul Grein, Billboard, 24 June 2022 Depending on the day, it’s part crime drama, part psychological thriller and always a pull-at-your-heartstrings tearjerker. Liza Lentini, SPIN, 16 June 2022 That said, maybe at some point down the line NBC may grant us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the tearjerker ... Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 1 June 2022 Willis, naturally, saves the day, and I'll be damned if that last convo between father and daughter isn't an absolute tearjerker. Hilary Weaver, ELLE, 1 June 2022 This tearjerker family film charts the burgeoning relationship between a Black nanny (Whoopi Goldberg) and the hunky Jewish widower (Liotta) who hires her to watch his grieving daughter (Tina Majorino). David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2022 Bay’s tearjerker was enough to keep him safe, though Dan Marshall wasn’t so lucky. Billboard Staff, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1912, in the meaning defined above