tearful

adjective

ˈtir-fəl How to pronounce tearful (audio)
Definition of tearfulnext
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

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.
Recent Examples of tearful The mother of a Loyola University freshman who was shot and killed in March delivered tearful testimony on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 30 June 2026 With her father and sister watching on in the Royal Box, Świątek was tearful when the match finished. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 30 June 2026 Solo moments from Selah, YG and Zion to their mother’s tearful pride rounded out the performance. — Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 After a tearful goodbye with Fern, Kat finally made her way to the present day. — Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for tearful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearful
  1. emotional
  2. sad
  3. weeping
  4. depressing
  5. teary
  6. pathetic
  7. weepy
  8. mournful
Adjective
  • On Thursday, when Samueli Foundation officials called to notify grant winners – in this case, 22 nonprofits that will receive Build OC money – the conversations sometimes turned emotional.
    — Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
  • How does that messy, emotional person do something so clinical?
    — Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
Definition of emotional
Adjective
  • Now, Star is reporting that Blake Lively is trying not to be bitter about not being invited, but the snub has left her very sad.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 8 July 2026
  • No living sister or Mother to administer relief in that hour the most sad in the history of humanity.
    — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Definition of sad
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
Definition of weeping
Adjective
  • In addition to which, the Moon is lined up with stern Saturn, which can be depressing.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 7 July 2026
  • Laughter and jokes are banned, and writing is presented as arduous and faintly depressing.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of depressing
Adjective
  • Rojas, who spoke through reddened, teary eyes after the game, knows the family well.
    — Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Lizzo, 38, got the chance to meet Hill, 51, at the ceremony and spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the moment through teary eyes in a backstage interview.
    — Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Definition of teary
Adjective
  • Never in my lifetime has pathetic nostalgia for the white man’s republic been closer to the center of power.
    — Brian DeLay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
  • Instagram Plus is social media’s newest low—a company preying on our most pathetic impulses, for the price of a small iced coffee.
    — Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026
Definition of pathetic
Adjective
  • Sure, one of your favorite actors is going to turn out to be a Bad Man™️, and yeah, there’s a lot of weepy talk about dead kids.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 June 2026
  • The Mouse House also seems dead set on retconning all of its best villains, with recent movies giving weepy sob stories to Cruella de Vil, Maleficent and Scar to explain away their cruelty.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 24 May 2026
Definition of weepy
Adjective
  • The years have only intensified Zimmerman’s mournful, hushed vocal performance, and Dream Me a Dream often plays out like a bedtime story spun by a beloved elder, accompanied by soft strings, shakers, and even a synth or two.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026
  • The drama can stir up nostalgia and mournful emotions, and feels personal to many.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Definition of mournful

Browse Nearby Words

teardrops
tearful
tearing
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Cite this Entry

“Tearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearful. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of tearful for Spanish Speakers

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