adjective
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about to cry
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accompanying or indicative of weeping
a tearful expression
-
tending to produce tears; sad
Other Word Forms
- half-tearful adjective
- half-tearfully adverb
- half-tearfulness noun
- tearfully adverb
- tearfulness noun
Etymology
Origin of tearful
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.
The day after Jessica’s tearful ride home, her dad told her that her mom had disappeared.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
Frightened people jostled their way on, leaving tearful goodbyes on the platform with those staying to fight.
From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026
He cracks jokes during his hospital stays, but in between you get a front-row look at how tiring, tearful and emotionally devastating his illness can be.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026
Co-founder and CEO Jenny Goodman said she received an all-caps message with a smiling, tearful emoji from her director of operations after the ruling.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026
He heard Olanna’s tearful voice but could not make out what she was saying.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
