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
Relevance
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
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Recent Examples of tearful
Flanked by her siblings, Annie Guthrie and Camron Guthrie, the family spoke directly to their mother in a tearful plea.
—
Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Ho Jin walks in at that moment, and there’s a whole tearful reunion, if understated and wordless.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
In a clip from the show, a tearful Kardashian discussed her divorce from West.
—Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
The 43-year-old educator also posted a tearful video on Instagram apologizing for the error.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tearful
Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Ho Jin walks in at that moment, and there’s a whole tearful reunion, if understated and wordless.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
In a clip from the show, a tearful Kardashian discussed her divorce from West.
—Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
The 43-year-old educator also posted a tearful video on Instagram apologizing for the error.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tearful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearful
Adjective
-
Kelly’s emotional two-dimensionality increases our anger on behalf of Pidgeon’s Carolyn, a vibrant professional woman who sees her life and her career toxified by the paparazzi and the press.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
For me, that connection is the emotional core of 17.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, Nancy Guthrie's Arizona community gathered for a vigil Wednesday evening while the world can't look away from an incident that is deeply, horrifically sad and frightening.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The song is sophisticated and simple, sad and somehow triumphant.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
Adjective
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Firstly, the jail is depressing and the people who work there are not always nice, particularly to reporters.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Despite this, black-market Stingers have had a depressing tendency to surface in conflicts around the world.—
David Szondy
February 08,
New Atlas,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Adjective
-
These clowns don't even have the courage of their pathetic White supremacist convictions.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
This kind of Jim Crow–style dehumanization is pathetic and a disgrace to the office.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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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
Adjective
-
Such memories flowed freely this week on social media and in mournful first-person essays.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
6 Feb. 2026
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Newsom shakes his head, seeming more mournful than angry.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearful. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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