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
Suarez is a Barca icon thanks to his exploits over a six-year period that ran from 2014 until a tearful exit in 2020.
—
Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
After Anthony Starr and Erin Moriarty, stars of The Boys, announce Scott as a winner, the flummoxed star rattles off a bunch of thanks (including one for Sarandos) and then closes with a tearful thanks for Sal.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 May 2025
Joe played it, hearing his tearful wife speak of how the Vines mess dredged up, yet again, so much of the pain of losing their son.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 27 Apr. 2025
On May 10, 2008, country music legend Randy Travis inducted a tearful Underwood into the famed Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tearful
Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
After Anthony Starr and Erin Moriarty, stars of The Boys, announce Scott as a winner, the flummoxed star rattles off a bunch of thanks (including one for Sarandos) and then closes with a tearful thanks for Sal.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 May 2025
Joe played it, hearing his tearful wife speak of how the Vines mess dredged up, yet again, so much of the pain of losing their son.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 27 Apr. 2025
On May 10, 2008, country music legend Randy Travis inducted a tearful Underwood into the famed Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tearful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearful
Adjective
-
Gina Huynh Diddy’s former girlfriend Gina Huynh has made public allegations of physical and emotional abuse during their relationship, leading to speculation that she could be called upon to testify.—
Janeé Bolden,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2025
-
What To Know Dixon, who has lived in the U.S. for 50 years after arriving from the Philippines at age 14, was emotional following her release.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
My back hurt from that sad excuse for a chair (seriously, who designs dining chairs to feel like medieval torture devices?).—
Renae Gregoire,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
-
Stewart is still thanked by gay fans by creating such a rare, highly visible (albeit sad) representation.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
27 May 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
-
The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2021
Adjective
-
The mortality rates of small indie presses and literary journals are a depressing feature of our cultural landscape.—
Michael Washburn,
National Review,
25 May 2025
-
Despite there being ample intrigue and mystery around what happened to Peter's first wife, the truth is pretty depressing.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
What with weakened teams and consistently pathetic performances, their league form on both their parts has been pathetic enough to be termed a dereliction of duty.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Take yesterday’s left hook out of nowhere by President Donald Trump, bragging about doing something that would bust even this pathetic budget.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
21 May 2025
Adjective
-
June hugs her, both of them teary over the reunion.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
27 May 2025
-
In a teary scene — for both the characters and the audience — Joel comes clean about everything.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
The Defender published several obituaries, mournful but proud.—
Victor Luckerson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
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Trump, meanwhile, drew the public’s attention for wearing a dark blue suit and a lighter blue tie in a sea of mournful black attire.—
Darlene Superville,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
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 6 Jun. 2025.
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