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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
causing unhappiness
the tearful end to what had once been a close friendship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tearful
There is a 9-year-old girl sitting terrified and tearful and blaming herself for wanting to see Disney.
—
Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
His tone was more direct than the emotional, sometimes tearful plea read by his sisters Savannah and Annie the previous evening.
—Sarah Lapidus, AZCentral.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Savannah and her family also released a tearful video pleading for Nancy's return.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
Hours after Savannah and her siblings, Annie and Camron Guthrie, made a tearful plea to Nancy's potential abductor, Camron had another message.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tearful
Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
His tone was more direct than the emotional, sometimes tearful plea read by his sisters Savannah and Annie the previous evening.
—Sarah Lapidus, AZCentral.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Savannah and her family also released a tearful video pleading for Nancy's return.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
Hours after Savannah and her siblings, Annie and Camron Guthrie, made a tearful plea to Nancy's potential abductor, Camron had another message.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tearful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearful
Adjective
-
Seitz said the men had assaulted him, and that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and deputies had violated his civil rights, inflicted emotional stress, defamed him and conspired to keep the matter quiet.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
With Spoelstra appreciative of the emotional drain of the experience, as well as the eventual exhilaration.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Mendy Rendler, a longtime congregant, described the scene as a sad reminder that the congregation is displaced and not allowed to make repairs.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
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Oooooofff, that is sad, my heart is breaking!—
Christina Grace Tucker,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.—
David Mamet,
National Review,
11 Aug. 2022
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
One day, one of the less depressing reminders of said past comes knocking in the form of an old Navy SEAL buddy, Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green, who’s evolved from Tom Hardy clone to Jon Bernthal lookalike).—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
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But Funt’s writing about sports gambling’s ‘winners’ is almost as depressing as the look at its losers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Adjective
-
The jobs report was a complete failure, and his economic approval sits at a pathetic 39%.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Now, any of the most pathetic four can draft first overall.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Kyle says a teary good-bye to everyone, gets on a boat, and is let out in the deep blue water, heading back to civilization, heading over each rocking swell, not into the future, but somehow into the past.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
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Then Reddick drove over to Victory Lane, where a teary Michael Jordan was waiting to bear hug him, and where owner Denny Hamlin and teammates Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst were waiting to congratulate him.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Such memories flowed freely this week on social media and in mournful first-person essays.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Newsom shakes his head, seeming more mournful than angry.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearful. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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