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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of teary
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
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
Van Der Beek’s teary response to being dumped by Katie Holmes’ Joey character became a meme that endured long past the show’s end.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
Now imagine the same with some of those teary eyes angled down toward glowing screens, while others frame the bride with their phones.
—Nikita Khanna, Vogue, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for teary
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
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
Van Der Beek’s teary response to being dumped by Katie Holmes’ Joey character became a meme that endured long past the show’s end.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
Now imagine the same with some of those teary eyes angled down toward glowing screens, while others frame the bride with their phones.
—Nikita Khanna, Vogue, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for teary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teary
Adjective
-
And there is a beautiful human element to it that is kind of, at its core, a little sad.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The vlogger Jordan Cheyenne, for one, wrecked her sharenting career by accidentally posting footage of herself coaching her son, who was distraught over the family’s sick puppy, to make a specific kind of sad face for YouTube.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But many other comments mocked the shop along with its presidential namesake, with a few detractors posting memes of tearful snowflakes topped with red MAGA hats.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
That’s how Guthrie managed those previous tearful, temporary returns.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Sam Levinson’s vision of a woman’s life is pretty depressing.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In his teaching, Weil conveyed his love for Russian literature’s very lengthy — and at times dark and depressing — novels with enthusiasm and aplomb, colleagues recalled.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Is there an emotional component for you at this moment?—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
From the opening scene of the family’s move to town, the soft and wistful light shapes the film’s emotional world.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The politicians who shut down the government are pathetic on both sides of the aisle.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
-
His Floyd constantly straddles the line between sweet and pathetic, often falling off one side or the other.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Adjective
-
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
-
For years, the Oscars’ in memoriam segment has been scored with weepy music and sentimental ballads.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
16 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
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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 13 Apr. 2026.
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