1
as in sad
causing unhappiness
a teary ending to what had been up to that point a lighthearted movie
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of teary
That memory from age 13 makes Sawitz, now 68 and father to a 12-year-old daughter, teary.
—
Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
Paul Thomas Anderson was teary eyed about De Luca after wining Best Director for One Battle After Another.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Jan. 2026
The teary eyes were contagious.
—Essence, 8 Jan. 2026
El asking Hopper to believe in her; El’s teary goodbye with Mike; Mike watching Holly and her friends take over the basement that was once his territory).
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for teary
Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
Paul Thomas Anderson was teary eyed about De Luca after wining Best Director for One Battle After Another.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Jan. 2026
The teary eyes were contagious.
—Essence, 8 Jan. 2026
El asking Hopper to believe in her; El’s teary goodbye with Mike; Mike watching Holly and her friends take over the basement that was once his territory).
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for teary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teary
Adjective
-
To many, this is a sad, depressing thought.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Shortly after the film begins, Jago returns home from the war alone with the sad news that Seamus has been killed.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But producers kept the cameras rolling throughout Shandi’s distress, capturing her sobbing frame and even filming a tearful phone call with her boyfriend back home.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
16 Feb. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
That simple scenario is a lot less depressing.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Feb. 2026
-
These could become depressing, as well as confusing.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The speech saw the ceremony’s host Désirée Nosbusch become emotional and get into back-and-forth with audience members who called out in support of the criticism of Israel and the German government.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The difficulty lies in aligning financial reality, operational necessity, and emotional desire into a decision that makes sense five and 10 years from now.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
For a film such a this to arrive in a FIFA World Cup year is a stark reminder of the entwinement between soccer and corruption, and De Pauw’s performance as Mayor Dumont — a man inclined to compartmentalize and pass the buck — is wonderfully pathetic.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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These clowns don't even have the courage of their pathetic White supremacist convictions.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Adjective
-
This year’s unstoppable force nabbed the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama for playing the weepy Mrs. Shakespeare following her big win at the Critics Choice Awards last weekend.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
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Hamnet is a somber watch, much more nakedly sentimental and weepy than Zhao’s other films (including the wonderful neo-Western The Rider, the Oscar-winning drama Nomadland, and the Marvel curio Eternals).—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
27 Nov. 2025
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
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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 23 Feb. 2026.
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