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.
Entrepreneurs posted tearful videos on social media to plead for help after their inventory was torched.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Yunisha appears tearful as she recalls that moment.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
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
"We're going to keep going. He's my grandson," said a tearful Victor Morales, who is still looking for the 11-year-old boy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
The graphic details, the tearful confessions, the furious rants.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
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.
