tearful

[teer-fuhl]

adjective

1. full of tears; tear; weeping.

2. causing tears: tear.

   the tearful story of his poverty.

tearful

/ ˈtɪəfʊl /

adjective

1. about to cry

2. accompanying or indicative of weeping

   a tearful expression

3. tending to produce tears; sad

Other Word Forms

• tearfully adverb
• tearfulness noun
• half-tearful adjective
• half-tearfully adverb
• half-tearfulness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tearful¹

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

Example Sentences

But there’s only so much an actor can do with outbursts and tearful platitudes of affection.

From Salon

Anxious families are waiting at the school, many of them tearful but holding out hope that their loved ones are still alive.

From BBC

While there, Mackey accidentally walks in on two older men receiving massages from younger women, one of whom is a tearful Dora, detained in the raid that took place earlier in the episode.

From Los Angeles Times

A tearful Ms Shih, whose 87-year-old mother was killed, told local media that her body was covered in debris inside their home.

From BBC

During Tuesday's show, a tearful Kimmel said it "was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man".

From BBC