1
as in sad
causing unhappiness
a teary ending to what had been up to that point a lighthearted movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tearful
given to expressing strong emotion (as sorrow) by readily shedding tears
he's one of those teary drunks who sees fit to bore the other bar patrons with his sad stories
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 teary
There, Sam unleashes reams upon reams of monologues about their past at a teary Mary, who fills in a few gaps.
—
Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2026
There, Sam unleashes reams upon reams of pent-up monologuing about their past while a teary Mary fills in a few gaps.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Still, nothing sparked quite as many headlines—or joyfully teary social media Reels—as the closing moments of episode five.
—Cameron Sperance, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2026
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, dust allergy symptoms include sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; itching; wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath; and red, itchy, or teary eyes.
—Sunshine Flint, Architectural Digest, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for teary
Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2026
There, Sam unleashes reams upon reams of pent-up monologuing about their past while a teary Mary fills in a few gaps.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Still, nothing sparked quite as many headlines—or joyfully teary social media Reels—as the closing moments of episode five.
—Cameron Sperance, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2026
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, dust allergy symptoms include sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; itching; wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath; and red, itchy, or teary eyes.
—Sunshine Flint, Architectural Digest, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for teary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teary
Adjective
-
The other six ascended to the highest office in the land as a result of the dysfunction that has made Peru a punch line in political-science circles, a sad story of ungovernability played on a loop.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
-
There’s a one-note quality to the film’s comedy that grows steadily, even deliberately, more abrasive over two hours, but the sad, brash, gradually shrinking bigness of the personalities at its center holds your attention.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Some epic scenes were invented wholesale, like a tearful reunion between Louis and Lestat in their old New Orleans home as a hurricane rages around them.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
-
Survivors describe squeezing through treacherous tunnels and seizing a brief drop in water levels to walk out, as tearful scenes greeted their emergence and uncertainty lingers over the missing pair.—
Jintamas Saksornchai,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Almost a year out to sea is very depressing.—
Steve Walsh,
NPR,
23 May 2026
-
Some sendoffs are mundane; others are downright depressing.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Adjective
-
Several jurors appeared emotional, covering their mouths.—
Dawn White,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
-
Though there are still many unknowns regarding the full effect of ayahuasca on the human experience, if my own is any indication, the mental and emotional gates this plant can open seem promising.—
Michaela Trimble,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
By then, Thomsen says, the public perception had shifted from regarding it as tough and controversial to seeing it as desperate and pathetic.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
The plan involved discovering a long lost princess, hopping on a plane to London, breaking into a museum store room, and enlisting the help of a very pathetic historian.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Adjective
-
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
-
But the war ended, and the smog didn’t, and L.A. wiped its weepy red eyes and demanded some solutions, dammit.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 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
Cite this Entry
“Teary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teary. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
