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 After a chilly opening night reception in Moscow — the tour took place shortly after the Soviets shot down an American spy plane — Mr. Janis’s performances of the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3 and Gershwin’s Concerto in F drew frantically cheering and sometimes tearful audiences. Allan Kozinn, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024 Her eyes were tearful and her hand was on her head. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024 The daughter’s response is tearful, terse and despairing. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 Upon closer examination of the album cover of Xiao Xia 3.0, one discerns a tearful Xiao Xia bidding farewell to her youth. Billboard China, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 Horowitz hugged tearful family members but did not comment while leaving court. CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024 At multiple points in the recording, the tearful former student, interviewed in the past month, became overcome and had to pause. Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 Kelce called time on his likely Hall of Fame career in a tearful press conference on Monday after 13 seasons in the league, all of them with Philadelphia. Ben Morse, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 Brother Travis was in attendance as Jason delivered his tearful 40-minute speech, along with his wife Kylie and parents Donna and Ed. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 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 28 Mar. 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
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