teary

adjective

ˈtir-ē How to pronounce teary (audio)
Definition of tearynext
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 Lawmakers in the House and Senate plugged away with some final formal votes, in between lengthy and teary tributes to the members who are term-limited or otherwise not returning to the Capitol. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 14 May 2026 MacInnes made a teary appearance on the stand yesterday, where Wilson’s barrister quizzed her intensely about her claims of a bad relationship with the Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect actress. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026 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 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 See All Example Sentences for teary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teary
  1. sad
  2. tearful
  3. depressing
  4. emotional
  5. pathetic
  6. crying
  7. weepy
  8. weeping
Adjective
  • Washington Post cartoonist Clifford Berryman quickly produced a cartoon showing Roosevelt refusing to shoot a tiny bear cub with big sad eyes and a rope around its neck.
    — Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • These sad conventions; these American ways of being, pacing to the end of a block and back like hamsters.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of sad
Adjective
  • By the end of the speech, a tearful Tom does, if not forgive, at least exonerate his son.
    — Whitney Friedlander, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The emotional toll was evident as Springer shared a tearful goodbye with teammates Daulton Varsho and Kevin Gausman before their departures.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of tearful
Adjective
  • The simple, rather depressing, and completely overwhelming fact of the matter is that the Marvel Cinematic Universe cannot be ignored, even as superhero fatigue has definitively set in at the global box office.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
  • The glow through the translucent stone façade prevents that journey from being downright depressing.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 29 July 2026
Definition of depressing
Adjective
  • In fact, Jaissle, with his emotional touchline demeanour and obsessive tactical demands, comes across more as a highly-strung indie-rock songwriter/front man.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Its quincunx to Saturn in your 4th House of Home may ask you to balance growth with family, housing, or emotional responsibilities.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of emotional
Adjective
  • There was no pathetic pleading with the audience to come closer.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
  • North Texas Howard WKU Northwestern Rutgers Nebraska That's a pathetic first six weeks.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of pathetic
Adjective
  • Some in the pro-crying camp pointed to articles and headlines as proof.
    — Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of crying
Adjective
  • Except that’s precisely what awards shows are terrible at — those hammy yuk-yuk sketches, or weepy maudlin moments, that struggle to celebrate the industry by interlacing the show with a theatrical insert.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of weepy
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

Browse Nearby Words

tears (out)
teary
teas
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Teary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teary. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of circumscribe

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All