1
as in emotional
given to expressing strong emotion (as sorrow) by readily shedding tears
a tearful woman who can be counted on to cry at every wedding, anniversary, and funeral
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2
as in sad
causing unhappiness
the tearful end to what had once been a close friendship
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Examples of tearful in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Messi bid a tearful farewell to Barca in the summer of 2021, when current president Joan Laporta failed to deliver on an election promise made earlier that year to renew the Argentine.
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Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024
Ellen DeGeneres has officially left the building, and judging from the social media response to her final standup comedy special, the prevailing reaction was anything but tearful.
—Samantha Riedel, Them, 26 Sep. 2024
Kelly’s ex-wife and mother of Joanne and her siblings, Drea Kelly, also makes an appearance in the trailer in a tearful clip.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 2 Oct. 2024
For Your Approval makes ample use of extended applause breaks, during which the comic soaks up her live audience’s attention; the longest of these cheers occurs when DeGeneres brings out her wife, a tearful Portia de Rossi.
—Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tearful 
Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024
Ellen DeGeneres has officially left the building, and judging from the social media response to her final standup comedy special, the prevailing reaction was anything but tearful.
—Samantha Riedel, Them, 26 Sep. 2024
Kelly’s ex-wife and mother of Joanne and her siblings, Drea Kelly, also makes an appearance in the trailer in a tearful clip.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 2 Oct. 2024
For Your Approval makes ample use of extended applause breaks, during which the comic soaks up her live audience’s attention; the longest of these cheers occurs when DeGeneres brings out her wife, a tearful Portia de Rossi.
—Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tearful
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.
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“Tearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearful. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.
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