tearful

American  

[teer-fuhl] / ˈtɪər fəl /

adjective

1. full of tears; weeping.

2. causing tears.

   the tearful story of his poverty.

---

tearful British  

/ ˈtɪəfʊl /

adjective

1. about to cry

2. accompanying or indicative of weeping

   a tearful expression

3. 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

First recorded in 1580–90; tear ¹ + -ful

Explanation

Before you break out in a full-fledged cry — when you're wiping your eyes and blowing your nose, you're tearful. If a person is tearful, he or she is full of tears. Most of them haven't flowed, but you can see them in someone's eyes. If you break out in a full-fledged cry, you're no longer tearful, you're weeping. If something is tearful, there are lots of tears involved. Think about the last time you said a tearful goodbye to a good friend, gave your sister a tearful hug, or witnessed a victim's tearful plea for mercy.

Example Sentences

"Coming from a financially unstable background I was a perfect target for coercion," she added, during the tearful testimony.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

But two and a half months into their trial, after hours of sometimes tearful testimony from witnesses, including Maradona's children, the proceedings came to a halt.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

The day after Jessica’s tearful ride home, her dad told her that her mom had disappeared.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Stadio Olimpico welcomed Totti as a 16-year-old debutant in 1993 and worshipped him until a tearful goodbye aged 40.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

So one day the Hunter family had driven over and the pets had been left, with many tearful farewells from Elizabeth and last-minute instructions from Peter.

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford