tearful

[ teer-fuhl ]
See synonyms for tearful on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. full of tears; weeping.

  2. causing tears: the tearful story of his poverty.

Origin of tearful

1
First recorded in 1580–90; tear1 + -ful

Other words from tearful

  • tear·ful·ly, adverb
  • tear·ful·ness, noun
  • half-tearful, adjective
  • half-tear·ful·ly, adverb
  • half-tear·ful·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tearful in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tearful

tearful

/ (ˈtɪəfʊl) /


adjective
  1. about to cry

  2. accompanying or indicative of weeping: a tearful expression

  1. tending to produce tears; sad

Derived forms of tearful

  • tearfully, adverb
  • tearfulness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012