adjective
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about to cry
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accompanying or indicative of weeping
a tearful expression
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tending to produce tears; sad
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tearful
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But she acknowledges that her distinct approach — kinder, gentler, more tearful — is rooted in her particular skill set: “It’s similar to how I responded to being led in kitchens,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Englishman Ramsay-Peaty, who was tearful after defeat on Saturday, was less emotional in the aftermath this time but was again unsure why he was unable to find his best times.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Her father, Joshua Hottle, first shared news of her death in American Sign Language in a tearful video posted to Facebook.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
When McCain died in 2018, Graham delivered a tearful remembrance of his friend on the Senate floor and then came up to the press gallery for a question-and-answer session with reporters.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
That was when I noticed that Lizzie was becoming quite tearful and upset.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
