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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For him, their tearful reunion was closure enough. Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025 Sean Patrick Thomas gets another great acting moment here with Polarity’s tearful relief at feeling healthy again. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025 But the shelter managed to capture a very sweet, and tearful, moment between the 6-month-old sisters on camera. Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2025 On many nights, Tamara would find her grandmother hunched over the kitchen table, poring over trial transcripts in which Erik and Lyle delivered hours of tearful and stomach-churning accounts of beatings, verbal lashings and rape. Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tearful

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tearful. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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
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