tearful

adjective

tear·​ful ˈtir-fəl 

1

: flowing with or accompanied by tears

tearful entreaties

2

: causing tears : teary

a tearful eulogy

tearfully

ˈtir-fə-lē 

adverb

tearfulness noun

Synonyms of tearful

• emotional
• weeping
• crying
• teary
• weepy
• lachrymose
• sobbing
• sad
• grieving

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

Cristiano Ronaldo was tearful after the last game of his sixth and final World Cup, Portugal’s 1-0 loss to Spain in the round of 16 on Monday decided by Mikel Merino’s stoppage-time winner. — Reuters, NBC news, 7 July 2026

With both extended families gathered at Athen’s Piraeus harbour, we where given a tearful goodbye with hearftfelt prayers and cheerful optimisum to begin our American journey. — Phil Kafarakis, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

To celebrate her beau’s big moment, Taylor rushed the field and met him with a huge tearful kiss and hug. — Alicia Brunker, InStyle, 3 July 2026

Maria Avila offered tearful recollections of the traumatic incident and her less-than-full recovery on the stand last week, speaking in Spanish with an interpreter. — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tearful

• cheerful
• fearful

Kids Definition

tearful

adjective

tear·​ful ˈti(ə)r-fəl 

: flowing with, accompanied by, or causing tears

tearfully

-fə-lē 

adverb