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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sad
causing unhappiness
the tearful end to what had once been a close friendship
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tearful
With a tearful emoji accompanying it, another customer’s comment was short, but honest.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2025
During her tearful testimony, jurors saw many photos of the singer covered in cuts and bruises from various past beatings.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 27 June 2025
But no matter what happens next, Sunday's win and that tearful hug will be hard to top.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
In a game played on a weekday morning UK time, and watched in schools and offices around the country, England’s tearful exit was the best possible promotion for the track.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tearful
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2025
During her tearful testimony, jurors saw many photos of the singer covered in cuts and bruises from various past beatings.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 27 June 2025
But no matter what happens next, Sunday's win and that tearful hug will be hard to top.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
In a game played on a weekday morning UK time, and watched in schools and offices around the country, England’s tearful exit was the best possible promotion for the track.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tearful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearful
Adjective
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Faces and words may fade, but their emotional residue frequently lingers.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
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Reducing Teen Obesity Through Stress-Informed Meal Design Faced with a surge in emotional eating and rising obesity rates among teens, one student tackled a deeply personal and widely neglected problem: The link between academic stress and chronic overeating.—
Karlo Tanjuakio,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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That's the sad reality facing many dogs in the wider shelter system.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
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Sinner plowed through an ailing Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, in a match that could serve as a sad, unfortunate coda to one of the most remarkable grass careers in tennis history.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
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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That this show could mark a turning point for free speech and the First Amendment is just too depressing to contemplate.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
2 July 2025
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But already there are major depressing effects on the ports and warehousing that are important contributors to California's economy.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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The double talk that is presented by both Republicans and Democrats alike is pathetic.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 July 2025
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Tehran's retaliation has, so far, been pathetic: a few missiles lobbed at an empty US base, complete with a heads-up.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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All ended with teary words from Shaiman and Wittman.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
24 June 2025
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Our tester found the liner glided on effortlessly and was seriously impressed by its staying power, even with her perpetually teary eyes.—
Angela Trakoshis,
Allure,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Once abundant on the island, this ground-foraging dove – with an earthy red-brown plumage and a quiet, mournful call – disappeared from the wild by 1972.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
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Several of her patients left mournful messages on the Yelp page of her Arcadia practice.—
Clara Harter
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Comment At the end of the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Richard Strauss’s Salome, the soprano Elza van den Heever stayed onstage to accept the uproarious ovations with a weepy smile and a grateful tap on her heart.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
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Novelist Kazuo Ishiguro’s weepy cloning love-triangle story turned out to be apt source material for his friend Garland to adapt.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearful. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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