tearful

adjective

tear·​ful ˈtir-fəl How to pronounce tearful (audio)
1
: flowing with or accompanied by tears
tearful entreaties
2
: causing tears : teary
a tearful eulogy
tearfully adverb
tearfulness noun

Examples of tearful in a Sentence

He looked up at me with his tearful eyes and asked for help. the tearful parting of two lovers
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The clip of the tearful moment of acceptance between father and son has 2.8 million likes and more than 23 million views. Sara Belcher, People.com, 6 June 2025 June 2's episode depicted his family's tearful bedside farewells while John lay in a full-body cast that obscured even his face. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 3 June 2025 Delivering a tearful farewell, Martinez thanked the teachers who supported him during his time as a CPS student as well as those who supported him during his time as CEO. Ikram Mohamed, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025 There were tearful videos where creators prayed for Trigg’s wellbeing and others where people redoubled their investigative efforts to prove that Trigg was the boy who had drowned. Fortesa Latifi, Rolling Stone, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for tearful

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tearful was circa 1586

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tearful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tearful. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

tearful

adjective
tear·​ful ˈti(ə)r-fəl How to pronounce tearful (audio)
: flowing with, accompanied by, or causing tears
tearfully adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on tearful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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