Tearjerker holding sanctimonious view (7)
I believe the answer is:
opinion
'view' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'tearjerker holding sanctimonious' is the wordplay.
'tearjerker' becomes 'onion' (cutting onions can make you cry).
'holding' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'sanctimonious' becomes 'pi' (old-fashioned term for pious).
'onion' going around 'pi' is 'OPINION'.
(Other definitions for opinion that I've seen before include "A view held, what one thinks" , "Personal belief without proof" , "Viewpoint" , "'Judgment, view (7)'" , "Unproven belief" .)