tearful

adjective

tear·​ful ˈtir-fəl How to pronounce tearful (audio)
1
: flowing with or accompanied by tears
tearful entreaties
2
: causing tears : teary
a tearful eulogy
tearfully adverb
tearfulness noun

Examples of tearful in a Sentence

He looked up at me with his tearful eyes and asked for help. the tearful parting of two lovers
Recent Examples on the Web On March 4, Jason officially announced his retirement from the NFL after 13 seasons in a tearful 40-minute speech. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024 Horowitz hugged tearful family members but did not comment while leaving the court, nor did Inciardi. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2024 Jon Stewart's tearful farewell to his dog, Dipper, on The Daily Show Monday quickly had the New York City animal shelter the pup came from inundated with donations. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024 Jim figured out what was going on, and the two shared a few tearful last words about Michael being the best boss Jim ever had. Erin Strecker, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024 Alexis Grossman’s tearful testimony was presented to bolster the defense argument that Erickson — not Rebecca Grossman — was the first to strike the boys on the night of Sept. 29, 2020. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024 But Maddi's family and friends say there was more than just tearful arguments. Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2024 So Far The former Eagles center formally announced his retirement on March 4 in a tearful 40-minute speech. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024 Alexis Grossman, her daughter, shared tearful testimony that bolstered the defense’s argument that Erickson was at fault. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tearful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tearful was circa 1586

Dictionary Entries Near tearful

Cite this Entry

“Tearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tearful. Accessed 2 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

tearful

adjective
tear·​ful ˈti(ə)r-fəl How to pronounce tearful (audio)
: flowing with, accompanied by, or causing tears
tearfully adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on tearful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!