tearful

[teer-fuhl]

adjective

1. full of tears; tear; weeping.

2. causing tears: tear.

   the tearful story of his poverty.

tearful

/ ˈtɪəfʊl /

adjective

1. about to cry

2. accompanying or indicative of weeping

   a tearful expression

3. tending to produce tears; sad

Other Word Forms

• tearfully adverb
• tearfulness noun
• half-tearful adjective
• half-tearfully adverb
• half-tearfulness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tearful¹

First recorded in 1580–90; tear ¹ + -ful

Example Sentences

On Sunday, a closing party was held, with landlord Graham Matthews admitting he was "tearful" about the closure.

From BBC

She will be remembered as a familiar figure at the Wimbledon tennis championships, where she handed over trophies - and consoled those who had lost, famously including a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993.

From BBC

A tearful Coco Gauff thanked superstar gymnast Simone Biles for bringing a "bit of calm" as she found a way to beat Croatia's Donna Vekic in the US Open second round.

From BBC

Michael Jordan was tearful while eulogizing Kobe Bryant, who at one time aggravated him with all his questions.

From Los Angeles Times

After a brief chat, Sinner apologised to the umpire and officials, growing tearful as he told them he "felt really bad" for the fans.

From BBC